Middle Earth Meets the Hetalians
by Blue Fire Yukio
Summary: When Merry and Pippin go to the docks to wait for a ship that would take them to the place Frodo and the elves would have gone, they find a portal that leads to the Hetalian world.
1. Intro

**_3rd person POV_**

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It was nighttime in a small place called the Shire. It existed in a land known only as "Middle-Earth." Like other places, Middle-Earth was another world; some might refer to it as another dimension if they like. In this little place known as the Shire, creatures called Hobbits abided. They are only about 3 1/2 foot tall on average, have pointed ears, generally have curly hair, are very joyous creatures, and are known for having big hairy feet.

Two hobbits, Pippin and Merry, were up to their usual no good pranks. They had always been the Shire "clowns" if that's the word you like to use, but after their adventure, they had only been more daring. The reason was that their life was lacking the excitement it needed to stay alive.

"Pip, this stuff we used to find fun...it just isn't enough anymore. I miss our friends. Gandalf...Frodo...Legolas even." Merry said, gazing up at the moonlight. Pippin was looking up at the moon's brilliance also. "Well, I hear that just because you say farewell, or give what you might consider your last goodbye, doesn't mean you'll never see that person again." He said, speaking softly and calmly. When it came to emotional subjects, Pippin was always the one trying to give hope whether there was or not.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. Every time I think of Frodo, my heart becomes heavy. We said our last goodbye. He's never coming back." Merry said as tears began to swell in his eyes. Even Pip could relate to what Merry was feeling. The adventure they had with Frodo, Gandalf, and the others...it had bound their hearts to one another. When they separated, something seemed to be missing. The only thing they had to fill that space was grief, sadness, and deep sorrow.

Every time the names of their dear friends were spoken, words of departure were said, or Pippin hummed the song "Last-goodbye", both of them felt a sadness one could not imagine unless they experienced it. Both hobbits began to sob as the memories of their adventure were reminded to them. The moon's light reflected off their tears brightly until the clouds started to gather for a thunderstorm.

"We need to go home. Are you hungry?" Pippin asked, standing to his feet. Merry meekly nodded and followed his friend to his house as he cried heavily. There was no hope of anyone coming back. Moreover, where there is no hope, there is no life. Where there is no life, nothing thrives. In this case, the two hobbit's lives being the thing that has failed to thrive.

They went inside Pippin's house just before it started to pour. "So what do you want to eat? Fish? Chicken? Just some bread?" He asked. Merry shrugged and said to surprise him. Pippin nodded and did one of the things he did best; cooking. He cooked all three of the things he had suggested. That way, they could take whichever they wanted.

"Dinner is served," He said, presenting Merry with a plateful of fish, chicken, and bread. After he sat down, they spoke grace and began to eat. Like almost all the hobbits, the two friends could eat a lot in one sitting. Within a few minutes, the plate only had fish bones on it. The chicken bones were taken aside to make a broth they liked to eat with crackers. "Well, that was satisfying, don't you think?" Pippin asked Merry with a smile.

"Yeah it's satisfying" Merry sighed. Though the meal had helped him get his mind off Frodo and the sadness he felt, it didn't make everything go away. He still felt heavy. This was where Pippin came in. He could cheer up any soul if he wanted to. "How about a song? A lively, pick up your feet and dance song?" He asked, sporting a big smile. Merry nodded a little and sat up to watch.

Pippin took his woodwind ocarina to play the tune. A cheery, fast-paced melody was played. Whether he wanted to or not, Merry began to tap his foot to the beat. Putting the ocarina down, Pippin began to sing whatever came to his head in the tune he had played. "We are the ones who keep our joy through dark times and the bad...So why don't you dance and forget why you were sad? Come on, pick up your feet! Come on, do a jig! Come on and make it big!" He sang joyously. Merry couldn't help himself and joined in.

"We may be small, but we are the happiest of all! Turn that frown upside down, look for the hope...Now is a time to rejoice, not to mope!" They sang in unison. When they had become tired, they fell atop each other, smiling and laughing. They forgot the sadness. For now.

Since it was raining heavily, Pippin suggested Merry stay there at his house. Merry agreed and stayed within the safe space of his friend's house. They headed off to bed and snuggled against one another for warmth. There was no place either of them would rather be at the moment than right by each other. The soft sounds of rain falling lulled them to sleep in no time at all. Their dreams were filled with joyous thoughts.

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 _hope the intro was okay. Hetalia comes in the next chapter  
_


	2. Pippin's Path

When morning came, it was bright and cheery, so unlike the storm that was going on when the two hobbits had gone to sleep. "Morning Pip" Merry said with a smile. He petted the little one until he awakened. "Oh...Good morning Merry" Pippin yawned. After getting a satisfying breakfast, they heard a knock on the door. Who could that be?

It was the king of the men! "What a surprise to see you at our doorstep. We humbly welcome you" Merry said with a bow. Pippin bowed as well. "You're very kind, but I come to bring you news" The king said. The two hobbits stood in attention. "Frodo promised me he would send a letter when he got to his new home, but now it's been months and not a single word. Think you two could check it out for me?" The king said with concern in his voice.

"Of course we will! There's no way we'd turn down an offer from the king!" Merry said as he got things together. The king kindly smiled as he saw the two hobbits quickly gather their necessities for the trip. When they were done, the king helped them into his horse driven cart. The hobbits felt honored to be riding in the king's cart. Whom, especially hobbits, got to do that?

They took turns entertaining the king. Doing hand jives and singing catchy rhyming melodies were only a few things, but they were what the king enjoyed most out of what they did. With all the singing and playing, the trip to the docks didn't seem to take long. They were at the dock where Frodo had left with the elves.

"Can you two stay here until the ship comes to pick you up? It should only take a couple of hours" The king kindly asked. "Oh, yes! We wouldn't turn down your request for all the riches of the world" Merry said humbly. The king smiled and nodded, wishing them the best. The two hobbits watched as his cart left toward the castle, leaving them at the shore of the lake.

So many memories came from this place, but they couldn't let their feelings get in the way of the task. Together the hobbits trotted across the land, looking for anything suspicious. For the first hour, there was absolutely nothing. They decided to take a break and settled down by some trees. "What do you have for food?" Merry asked. Pippin looked through the pouch. "Lampas bread, apples, carrots, a little bit of frozen fish, and some old toby" He reported.

"Good, give me some bread and fish please." Merry said. Pippin nodded and handed over the desired items. "You're going to need to cook that, so I'll go find us some firewood" He said with a wink. After getting up, he walked into the forested area to look for some firewood. That's when he saw something strange. It looked like a door suspended in the air. There was no back to it...it was like a part of a wall. Pippin was going to ignore it, but he couldn't resist his curious nature.

He reached his arm through. Seemed to be okay. Nothing was trying to eat his hand nor were there snarls. Now that his curiosity had risen, he stepped all the way inside. He found himself in a room. It was a style he'd never seen before though. The walls were painted bright pink and there was a bed full of plushy animals. The walls were decorated with princesses and My Little Pony posters.

Pippin was about to leave, but found that the portal had been closed up. He was scared now. Anything could live here, and he really didn't want to find out what. He pushed on the wall, hoping the portal would come back, but he had no luck. To make matters worse, his sensitive ears could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Not a good sign at all.

Before he could find a safe place to hide, it was too late. The door opened and a man with blond hair and bright green eyes entered the room. "Hello there, doll. Are you like, lost or something?" He asked. Pippin was too scared to answer. "You're like, really dirty. I should like, clean you up, you know?" The man said, grabbing Pippin. The hobbit started screaming and squirming, but the man kept a firm hold on him.

"Oh sorry. I should like, introduce myself before like, picking you up and dragging you to the bathroom or whatever. My name's Feliks." The man said. "P-Peregrine. Peregrine Took of the Shire." Pippin said in response. Feliks smiled. "Well, I hope you know that I like, am in love with little things so you're like, my toy now, okay?" He said. Pippin's eyes widened. He was a hobbit, not some freaky man's play doll!

Before he could fuss, Feliks had gone into the bathroom and locked the door. He began to run hot bathwater and poured suds into it so it foamed up. "Okay, now undress" Feliks commanded. Did...Pippin's ears...fool him? "U-Undress!? I will do no such thing!" He said, crossing his arms. There were few things he got this bold about, and being a nude in front of other eyes was one of them.

Feliks ignored the request and started undressing Pippin himself. "What are you doing!? Stop! I ask you to stop!" The hobbit yelped. "Not until you like, get clean. I'll have it no other way" Feliks said, sounding like a bossy valley girl. Pippin huffed and finally stopped resisting. At least the psycho only wanted him clean and wasn't in it for seeing a naked Hobbit.

Once undressed, Feliks set little Took into the bathwater, getting his hair and his body wet with soapy water. The washing began with Pippin's curly hair. Shampoo was scrubbed on until it looked like he had a white afro. "Close your eyes" Feliks said. He grabbed Peregrine's little neck and pushed him under the water. After a couple seconds, he pulled him back up again. Before Pippin could process what just happened, conditioner was being slathered on his hair.

"You treat me like a child. I am no child, I am a hobbit!" Peregrine said boldly. "I like, don't care what you are. You're like, small and cute. You could be like, a troll or whatever, and I would still want to like, keep you for my own, you know?" Feliks said as he massaged the conditioner in. Peregrine would never admit it to a psycho, but he was actually enjoying the washing. As the conditioner was working its magic, Feliks grabbed the sponge and the soap.

Every inch on Pippin's body was washed thoroughly, even his private parts. It was now only his feet and face that needed scrubbed. "These are like, super filthy" Feliks commented as he scrubbed those hobbit feet. Pippin didn't know what it was, but the psycho had grabbed a razor. "Wh-what is that?" The Took asked. "This? Oh, this just like, takes off the hair" Feliks replied. He started shaving the hobbit feet, taking every hair off.

"What did you do to me!?" Pippin said in panic. He didn't know how to react to his feet being shaved. Feliks didn't say a word and continued his work. The feet were both shaved and scrubbed clean. Now that part was over, and the little face was the only thing left. Feliks took a washcloth and gently cleaned Pippin's face. He also didn't forget to scrub behind the pointed ears.

After that was finished and the hair was rinsed, the bathwater was left to drain. Feliks patted all the water off Pippin's body and wrapped him in a bathrobe. It was too big, yes, but it did keep him warm. His clothes were taken to the washroom, where they would be cleaned for later use. "S-So what now?" Pippin asked, looking up in expectation. "It's time to glamorize you" Feliks said with a wink.

Taking the hobbit to the make-up station, Feliks began to get to work. Being used to a medevil way of life, Pippin was not familiar with anything. He was going to ask what the make-up was, but Feliks got busy before he could ask. Blush here, lipstick there, a little bit of black eye-shadow, some mascara, a tiny bit of bronzer and ta-da. Feliks showed Pippin his new and "improved" face in the mirror. A look of horror filled the hobbit's eyes. He looked as if he'd just seen an ugly orc.

"Get it off! Get it off!" he screamed. Feliks only laughed. "Get what off? It makes you look so cute" he said with a smirk. Peregrine knew that Feliks wouldn't let him take it off, but he wasn't happy with it in the slightest. "Okay, fine. But you have to let me take a picture first." Feliks finally said. A picture? Well...okay. Anything to get this nasty stuff off. "Yes! That is fine! Will do!" Pippin said. Flash! The picture was taken and Feliks began to remove the make-up.

* * *

 _So there you have the first crossover part. Pippin and Feliks. And sorry if it's weird, but don'y give up on me. It does get better than this.  
_


	3. Merry's Path

Meanwhile, back in the other world, Merry was becoming concerned. Pippin had been gone for almost an hour. Something had to of happened. Merry bravely walked in the direction that his friend had gone. If something had gotten a hold of him, surely it would find Merry too. He kept walking through the trees until he saw the same strange portal that Pippin had seen. "That little Took...always has to touch things he isn't supposed to..." Merry sighed. He hesitantly went into the portal, coming out somewhere different than Pippin did.

He appeared in a modern apartment room, but he had no idea where he was. Everything was new and foreign. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Merry called out into the air. All he heard were strange noises. After standing up, he came face to face with a small grey alien with big red eyes. Not comforting in the slightest. Merry went to leave, but the entrance was gone. There was no way out. Pulling out his knife, Merry faced the alien. "Back off you demon!" He shouted.

Just then, he heard the door swing open. "Tony! The hero is home!" Screamed the new voice. Merry was frightened, but held out his dagger in defense. "Oh, I see you made a new friend. How nice is that?" The new person said. There was a moment of awkward silence. "Tell me. Who are you?" Merry commanded. "Me? Well I'm America! You know, Alfred? Everyone should know that...shouldn't they?" He said. Merry nodded slowly and said, "Well Alfred...My name is Merry. I am a hobbit of the Shire" as an introduction.

Alfred smiled and picked Merry up in his arms. "Look bro, I don't know what in the heck a hobbit is, but I like it!" He said, giving Merry a tight hug. When he was put down, Merry plopped on the ground due to dizziness. Those tight hugs do a number on little people. "Sorry dude, I just get really excited. You know what? I should show you off to the world!" Alfred squealed, grabbing Merry in his arms and going outside. The hobbit was not happy at all.

Alfred went to the place that the allies and axis always hung out. "Look guys! Look what I found!" He said excitedly, holding Merry above his head. "Oh, dandy. My imaginary friend is here." Said Arthur as he took another swig of ale. It was obvious that he probably had too much ale already. "Put me down, idiot!" The hobbit finally snapped. Alfred did so, but held the little one's shirt collar to keep him from running off.

"Aww, would you like to be friends?" Ivan asked, stooping down to Merry's level. Merry smacked Ivan's hands away. "No, I have not come to befriend you...people. I have come to rescue the friend I already have!" He said, crossing his arms. The allies, except for Arthur of course, laughed. The sight of a 3'6 man acting like he's some big tough guy was very amusing, and none of the allies could take him seriously and treating him as if he were a child. "D-Don't laugh at me! I may be small, but I'm on a mission! You never ever disturb a hobbit on a mission." Merry said in defense.

"You may not be human, but you definitely are not superior either." Yao stated. Merry flustered. He knew that, but that didn't mean he could be treated like a child. He was most certainly not a child. He was very smart, brave, strong for his size, and unfaltering. He also had his own house. No normal child has that, now do they? Still, the allied forces continued to talk to him and treat him like a silly infant. Francis was making kissy faces and started talking about how much he loved children. That was a sure way to make a hobbit mad.

"I'm not a child, okay? I'm just small. Now hush up and help me find my buddy!" Merry said, becoming fed up with the allies. Still, the others did not take him seriously. "He's even a doll when he's mad!" Francis cooed. Ivan ruffled Merry's hair and pulled on his ears teasingly. The little hobbit was becoming very angered. Then he had an idea. They knew he wasn't human, and they probably had no clue what a hobbit was. Maybe he could make something up as a cop out?

"If you don't stop, I'll have to use my powers to explode your head!" Was all he could think of. AGH! That was too generic, Merry. Way too generic. The allies busted out in uncontrollable laughter. Even Arthur was joining in at this point. "Look little guy, I don't know what kind of folk you're accustomed to, but we aren't fooled so easily." He said after taking another swig of ale. Merry was very upset. All he wanted to do was get Pippin, find the way back, and get things organized!

Since fighting was his only option, Merry pulled out his dagger and stabbed Alfred's leg. Being hasty to get away, he left the dagger, the only defense he had, with the American. Out the door and down the street he went. "Agh, the nerve of these people. Treating me like a baby and poking fun. They won't be laughing when the king finds out about all this." He quietly whispered to himself after running to the safety of an alley. As much as he didn't want to, he broke down into tears.

All he wanted was to be at home with Pippin, singing and dancing his sadness away. But no. He was in a strange world, full of strange people. Not a single person he knew was nearby. Nobody to sing or dance with, nobody to share a meal with. Not even a meal to share with himself. Even on his previous endeavor, Pippin, Gandalf, or the king were right by his side. This time there was not even that. Having nothing else to do at the moment, he curled up and silently prayed. "Please, just show me the way" He whispered as he raised his eyes to the sky.

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 _I apologize if it takes a while to get the next chapter up, but if you like it so far, don't give up on me if it takes longer than you expected. Also, reviews are appreciated_


	4. Pippin's Path Pt2

_I apologize for the delay and the awkwardness of the last two chapters. I promise that it gets better now. I have more time to think of where it should go_

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Back at Feliks' house, things continued. The makeup was off of Pippin's face, but Feliks had convinced him to allow the appliance of fingernail and toenail polish. "There. All done" Feliks said with a smile as he put his polishes away. Pippin looked at his feet and at his hand's nails. They were bright pink now, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. It was rather...new. "Look, I should be having like, a friend over later. He'll love to like, meet you" Feliks said with a smile. A friend huh? Pippin hoped this friend wasn't like the Polish man. "A-Alright" He stammered.

After getting away from the makeup stand, he walked into the living room, looking around at everything in wonder. This place certainly wasn't as fantastic as any of the castles he'd ever been to, but it definitely was unique. Most of the things that the nations found as essential, such as televisions or electric lights, were all totally new concepts for the hobbit; and being as curious and clumsy as he was, things weren't going to go well.

He was so clumsy in fact that many people, including one of his best friends, Gandalf, had called him 'A Fool of a Took'. That might not sound so bad to you, but for him it was. You see, the Took family was known for being smart and brave, and each time he was called that name, it brought dishonor to his family. He was about to make another fool of himself when he entered the kitchen, however.

He observed as Feliks toasted some bread for...well you guessed it; toast. He stared confusedly, trying to decide what the machine was doing. How did it generate heat? Flames weren't spouting out the top. When Feliks was done, Pippin hoisted himself up onto the counter to observe. Looking down into the toaster, he saw it was tinted red, but there was no fire. Weird to somebody who didn't understand the concept of electricity.

He waited for a moment and noticed the red started to go away. Where was it going? Since there was no fire, the inside had to be painted red, but paint doesn't fade. Not that fast anyway. That was how the hobbit thought. He stuck his finger inside to see where the 'paint' was going. OW OW! He pulled his hand out as fast as he could and kicked the toaster across the floor. Evil thing, that toaster.

"It bit me!" He screamed. Feliks only laughed as he got a first aid kit from under the sink. "The toaster didn't like, bite you or whatever. It was like...still hot. That's all." He said as he put medicine and a Band-Aid on the burn. Well, at least the little Took knew what not to do again. Moreover, he learned a pretty good lesson: do not stick your hand in angry 'invisible fire' maker's mouths or it will bite you. That was his interpretation of "Don't put your hand inside toasters"

Once that was over with, Pippin went back into the living room and crawled on the couch. In this world, kitchens were dangerous places, and best be avoided. All kinds of scary creatures lurk in there.

I suppose Pippin would have freaked out if Feliks introduced him to the Blender. Best not to do such a thing. Feliks didn't want to give an innocent little hobbit nightmare fuel, and neither would I. Would you? Some of you may say yes, but I hope you'd say no.

Soon there was a knock on the door, a very soft one at that. Feliks went to open the door and Pippin heard excited chatter. Feliks let the man in, and introduced the two characters. "So this is like, my best friend in the world. His names Toris. He is totally righteous!" He shouted, "And Toris, this is like, Pippin." Pippin paused for a minute, still trying to figure out why Feliks had said 'righteous'. The new man waved a hello, which directed the hobbit's attention back to the situation at hand.

The new man was about as tall as Feliks, had brown hair that reached just a little bit past his shoulders, and deep green eyes. He seemed to be the shy type, which was not at all bad to Pippin. He knew many shy people, and he himself could be considered one at times. It all depended on whom he was around. I guess that's with everyone though.

"Nice to meet you Toris" Pippin said with a cute smile. Toris returned a smile and sat down beside the little man. "What country are you?" Toris asked, obviously interested in the hobbit. He thought that because of his size and his unnatural qualities, he was a new micro-nation. It wasn't often that otherworldly characters came to this place, and the ones that possessed unnatural qualities in this world were usually nations with abnormal traits. Taking Prussia for example, he is albino because he isn't actually a nation any more. Or Romania. He looks like a vampire due to the fact that the idea of Dracula originated there.

Pippin, however, was not a nation. He had no history as a nation would. He also didn't understand how these people could be nations, because they were not technically land. However, he didn't bother to ask and answered he question honestly, whether the Lithuanian would understand or not. "I am not a nation, Mr Toris. I am a Hobbit of the Shire" He said plainly. Toris's eyes widened. A hobbit? Never heard of one of those. "I see. Well that is very interesting. Do you mind if I ask more questions? Its okay if not, as I wouldn't want to bother you" The Lithuanian said. Pippin glanced at Feliks for a second before returning his gaze back to Toris. "Sure, that'll be fine" He said.

Lithuania asked all the obvious questions first. "What is a Hobbit?" "What is the Shire like?" "What do you do for fun?" and questions like that. Pippin answered each one with answers that were factual. The only one he elaborated on was "What's your family like?" in which he went into very detailed explanation. Feliks had brought tea and coffee for them to drink as they talked; each stopping occasionally for a sip.

Things went smoothly until Toris got to the first personal question. "Can you tell me about your friends?"

Pippin paused, trying to think of how to answer, or if he should answer at all. "Well...I..." He stuttered. His mouth moved as if he was going to say something else, but no voice came out. "I can't answer that without asking you for a favor" He finally said after finding the right words.

"What kind of favor would that be?" Toris asked as he put his notebook to the side and focused all his attention on the little Hobbit's words. "Well...you see...ah..." Pippin stammered, "Merry is the name of my best friend. We got separated and..." He paused yet again. The nations looked at him expectantly, both very interested in what he was about to say. "...And I don't know where he is. I suppose he followed me into this world by now, but I have no clue where to begin looking. Perhaps you can help me?" He continued.

The two nations glanced at each other, then to Pippin. They didn't do much outside of overseeing their land and playing with other nations. Why not take a break and help out a little hobbit in need? "Of course we will" Toris said with a warm smile. Feliks agreed with his friend. A very wide grin spread across Pippin's face and he giggled like a child. "Thank you both. I promise I'll make it up to you later" He spoke softly.


	5. Merry's path Pt2

_All I have to say is "Enjoy" :-D_

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Merry was still in the alley, contemplating what to do next. He was hungry, thirsty, and scared. This land wasn't meant for hobbits to inhabit. There were dangers around every corner. Well, that's how it seemed. At least in his world, most people knew what hobbits were and offered them food, drink, or heck, even an encouraging word or two. This world was nothing like Middle-Earth.

You walk across the black pathway and giant rolling monsters start pouncing at you. You walk down the gray pathway and people don't take notice of you since you are so small and knock you right over without a second thought. You go inside a building and people push you aside either because they don't see you, or they are just mean people. By all means, this world was not welcoming to a hobbit at all.

Finally getting his courage up, Meriadoc stood to his feet and hesitantly walked along the gray pathway. Whenever a person came by, he hugged up against the wall to avoid being pushed. After so long, he finally avoided the main crowd of people and started to walk along an empty sidewalk. His eyes observed his surroundings carefully, looking for anything that could be used as food or drink.

There was an oak tree, but it was far too large for him to shake or climb and none of the acorns had fallen yet. It seemed that the only food item was grass, but he didn't want that. Hobbits were very picky about what they ate, and grass was not on the menu. Only if he was literally dying of hunger would he eat it.

His woolly feet carried him on as he kept looking. Then boom! He saw the perfect thing. A garden in front a comfortable home was like a pantry to him. Only problem was that it was fenced in. Thankfully, Merry had lots of experience in climbing, and was not hesitant to climb up a tree that was planted beside the fence. A normal sized human would have easily broken the branches, but he went up the tree with ease.

After getting on top of the wall that fenced in the yard, Meriadoc planned how he would fall and entered the garden without injury. There were no humans around, but even if there were, surely they would spare some food for a hobbit in need; or were people really that darn cruel? It didn't matter though. Merry had escaped angry gardeners before, and he was fully capable of doing it again.

He scrambled to the garden, observing each plant. Lots of flowers, including honeysuckles, which were his personal favorite. There were also many other plants including fruits and vegetables. Upon close examination, there seemed to be an overabundance of potatoes and tomatoes; both which he liked very much. He began to pluck the potatoes from the ground, and found that they were all almost fully-grown.

Merry didn't want to take all the food, just enough to satisfy him now and a few extras for later. He took about seven potatoes, keeping two aside and tucking the remaining five in the pouch on his belt. As for tomatoes, he couldn't take those with him, as they would squish too easily. He picked a few to eat now though, and took a seat beside the flowers.

The front door of the house opened with a loud creak, but he was enjoying his food too much to notice. It wasn't until a very tall blond man with soul piercing blue eyes started to approach that Merry noticed there was trouble. He dropped everything in his hands and raced to hide behind the beanstalks. He observed the man, who looked very intimidating to say the least.

Another man, not quite so intimidating, followed behind the blond. He had brown hair, which had one very long and unnatural curl on the side. His eyes were...closed? How could he see what he was doing? Though it made no sense, the shorter man acted normally despite his eyes appearing to be closed. "Ludwig, is it true that the potatoes are ready to harvest today!? I can't wait until we make a delicious dinner with them!" Said the shorter man. He had a very weird accent in Merry's opinion, one he was yet to hear despite all the places he'd been.

Little Mister Meriadoc kept watching these two humans. It was then that he realized something that could possibly—and probably would—reveal that he had taken food. The nibbled tomatoes and the half-eaten potato along with a few honeysuckles lay in plain sight. He was too much in a hurry to hide that he forgot those things. The tall man bent down and observed the partially eaten food and his gaze turned dark; almost like a 'demon' in Merry's words. "What's wrong Luddy?" The shorter man asked with a look of concern in his expression. "We have a thief, and by the looks of it, it's human." The taller man said.

Just the voice of the blond was enough to send chills down Merry's spine. It was a strong and firm voice; like those of burly fighters that could take out ten enemies before they received a single battle scar. The scary part was that Merry was the thief, and thieves are punished. Merry wanted desperately to get out of there, but the only passage out was the tree on the other side. It was impossible to reach the other side without being noticed, so he was in a tight pickle.

He thought about walking out and admitting he was the one who did it, but that could very well have been a death sentence. He couldn't just disappear, as he was not magical nor could he change colors to blend into his background. He had thought about fighting his way out, but without his dagger, he would prove to be most ineffective against a man such as the blond; or Ludwig as he was called by the shorter man. By all means, there was no possible way besides making a run for it.

After gathering all his strength, the hobbit darted for the tree, but didn't go unnoticed by the two men, as you might have suspected. The shorter man ran considerably faster and caught up to Meriadoc in literal seconds. He tackled Merry, which kept him down long enough for Ludwig to grab him. While in the air, Merry kicked and wiggled, trying desperately to escape the grasp. Even if it seemed hopeless, he was not one to give up. "Stop squirming kinder." The blond said, the word 'kinder' meaning 'child' in German, "I will not hurt you"

Meriadoc calmed down, but he was still scared as the two men looked him over. "It's not human, and apparently not a nation. Perhaps it's a leprechaun" The shorter man said. Merry looked kind of offended, as he was most definitely not one of those. He couldn't have expected anyone in this world to know what a hobbit was though, so he couldn't keep offense. "Where's the gold!?" The shorter one shouted excitedly, "We caught the leprechaun so now we get the gold!"

"I don't have any gold!" Merry retorted as the man started putting his hands in the hobbit's pockets. He then found the potatoes; five of them if you don't recall. "Little thief..." Ludwig whispered in disapproval, "Since you have nowhere to go, I shall have a talk with you myself" Merry gulped nervously, wondering what all that statement entailed. Hopefully it wouldn't involve physical damage to his small and rather fragile body. To his relief, it didn't. Ludwig simply interrogated him until he felt like banging his head on the wall.


	6. A Reunion and a New Adventure

_I hope this was a good place to lead the story. We can't forget the 2ps!_

* * *

Pippin, Toris, and Feliks had gotten ready to go outside. Well, Pippin was already prepared to go outside, but he waited patiently for the others. "Alright, lets go" Feliks said as he opened the front door. The group of three left the house and went down the sidewalk. Each nation held one of the hobbit's little hands to make sure he stayed close by. There was no way they'd be losing him today.

"So, where do you think would be a good place to look first?" Toris asked the small being. Pippin looked to the side, thinking intently. "Wherever there's free food, that's for sure." He finally said. The two nations thought...there was no place to get free food unless, of course, it was stolen. So that discounted all the buildings and facilities, as it would be very hard for a hobbit to walk out of a store unnoticed since their abnormalities attracted a lot of attention. The only place that would be logical would be a garden, and there were only two of those. The community garden and Germany's garden.

"Let's check the community garden first. There's no security there, so it would be a more likely place." Toris said, reasoning the situation with simple logic. That goes to show you that logic isn't always helpful, but don't get me wrong, it can be a lifesaver. The three kept walking until they reached the community garden. A very nice place it was, decorated with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and trees. The most impressive lots were those that belonged to Russia and the one that belonged to Netherlands. Russia's was nothing but sunflowers, reaching tall for all the sunlight they could possibly get. Netherland's lot was full of all kinds of little flowers, but especially tulips. Those were his favorite flower, so you could only expect it to be the most abundant plant on his lot.

They looked around at all the beautiful plants, seeing just about everything except for Merry. "Looks like this isn't the right place" Toris sighed. "But hey, now that we're here we can like, look around and relax or whatever!" Feliks said cheerily as he sat on the bench. A very nice wooden bench it was, little vines starting to wrap around and grow on it. Toris took a seat next to Feliks, and both enjoyed watching Pippin. When in a place that was a lot like his home, he was very cute and playful; just like a child.

He danced around the field, laughing joyously as he looked at all the budding flowers. It made him think of a little melody to sing. As an improvational singer, he could make a song out of whatever he saw.

 _Dancing with the trees and singing a happy song;_

 _Gazing at the flora, which must reach a mile long_

 _You may think I'm strange for singing this melody;_

 _But if you tried, I'm sure you would join me_

 _All you have to do is dance—prance—be on your toes;_

 _Explore the wonders of nature, for there is so much that nobody knows_

 _Look up, look down, look under and all around;_

 _Even when it seems there's no more, a new thing can always be found_

 _Oh, won't you come along? Singing is no fun without a friend to share the song;_

 _The tulips are asking, no, begging you to join the throng_

 _So get on your feet and come along._

 _Dancing with the trees and singing a happy song;_

 _Gazing at the flora, which must reach a mile long_

 _You may think I'm strange for singing this melody;_

 _But if you tried, I'm sure you would join me..._

The nations were enjoying his singing very much, but he stopped just as they were about to lift their voices. "We were going to like, sing with you" Feliks said. He rather liked singing, as did Toris, so the sudden stop was sort of disappointing. "I'm sorry...it's just that..." The little hobbit paused for a moment before continuing, "It's just that I usually always sing with Merry and to not have him with me...well, it just isn't the same"

Meriadoc and Peregrine were very close friends that almost never left one another's side. They were emotionally attached so deeply that it literally hurt them to be away from each other for too long. There was only one other time that they had been separated, and they wished to never be separated again. Sadly, that wish was not currently being fulfilled.

"I understand what it is like to be away from your very best friend. I'm that way with Feliks, though probably not as much as you are with Merry" Toris said in understandment. That made Pippin feel a little better, but staying in this garden wasn't going to help them find Meriadoc. However, it was the perfect place for a certain hungry little hobbit to get lunch. Pippin walked around until he found an apple tree with ripe apples. The only problem, like Merry and the oak tree, the apple tree was simply too big and tall.

But that was okay. He had an idea that would most likely work. Picking up some small rocks, he then threw them at a low-hanging apple that seemed to be ready to fall anyways. It took a few hits, but he eventually retrieved his prize. A perfect red apple—exempt for a little bruise where the rock hit it—fell onto the soft green grass below. He picked it up and started to eat it, turning to look at the others with a smile. "When a hobbits' hungry, a hobbits' got to get food" He said, then took another big bite.

The two nations smiled. "Well, are we like, going to check out the other garden?" Feliks asked, already walking toward the exit. Toris nodded and took Pippin's free hand as he continued to eat his apple. They walked slowly but surely to Ludwig's house, where they would find a garden that was a suspected place for Merry to be. The short brunette was out harvesting the potatoes and tomatoes, not paying attention to the arriving guests at first.

"Afternoon to you, Feli!" Toris greeted. The brunette, who was now being addressed as his actual name, looked up in attention. He was surprised to see Pippin, as he thought the little creature Ludwig was currently interrogating was the only one of his kind. Well, reality check, I suppose. "H-Hello!" He stuttered as he rushed to the gate and unlocked it. "Come in, by all means. Stay for pasta if you like"

The two Baltics nodded and entered the gate, bringing the little hobbit with them. "What is your need for coming?" Feli finally asked. Before Toris or Feliks could answer, Pippin lifted his voice. "I am looking for my friend, Merry. I suppose he would be where there is food, and we all decided that this was the ideal place to look" he said, his hazel eyes looking up at Feli's closed ones. The Italian stuttered at first, unable to find his words.

"Well, Ludwig has him inside" He finally said, rushing to the door. He suspected that the friends would want to be united at once. And right he was. As soon as that door opened and the two hobbits laid eyes on each other, time itself seemed to stop. Though they hadn't even been separated for a day, it felt like weeks. Maybe a month even. They both ran toward each other at full speed until they crashed on the floor in a hug.

"I was scared to death" Merry confessed before he began covering Pippin's forehead in kisses. Pippin smiled and hugged a bit tighter, but almost let go when he remembered that four men were watching them. How embarrassing it was, yet as long as he was with Merry, it mattered not. After about a minute had passed, they got off the floor and looked at each other. Merry seemed somewhat horrified as he looked at Pippin's feet. "What happened to them!?" He squealed, "They're hairless and...your nails are colored...pink?"

Pippin giggled. "He just shaved them. I suppose I'll get used to it. And he colored them" He said as he pointed to Feliks. The two hobbits gazed up at the personified nations with wide eyes. The only looks they received were three big smiles and a half-smirk thing on the German's face. Whatever was that kind of a smile? Maybe his smiler was broken.

Now that they had found each other and apparently had four nations as their allies, the next task was at hand. The land Frodo had gone to was safe from any dangerous beasts, so the only explanation for his disappearance seemed quite simple. There probably was another portal to this world made as a back up by whomever created the things. It only seemed right that Frodo probably—no, most definitely—had entered this world as well. Since Merry and Pippin were both been teleported to different areas, it was only logical to say that the hardest part would be locating Frodo and any of the others that had come along.

"At least the axis nor the allies know anything about it, so your friends can't be in the 1p area" Ludwig said. He had gotten quite a bit of information out of Merry, so he knew that he had met the allies already. The allies, just in case you don't recall, were made up of America, Britain, France, Russia, and China. They were the first to know anything and everything, so if they hadn't found out, it was a guarantee that the portal on the other side of the lake led to a different part of the Hetalian world. "Where would they be then?"

Ludwig took a deep breath. He really didn't want to tell the truth, but he couldn't lie to the innocent hobbits. "Probably in the 2p realm" He said. The hobbits looked confused. 1p? 2p? What in this world did those terms mean? Merry took the liberty in asking. He had been asked so many questions, so now he was returning the favor. Ludwig paused again, not knowing of any sugar-coated way to explain the horrible reality. There was simply no 'prettying up' the 2p world. The harsh reality was none other than that; a harsh reality.

"To put things in simple terms, the 2p section is totally opposite of us. There's more than one personification for countries and the 2ps represent all the evil of each nation. To put things even simpler, your friends are probably not in a happy place if they are still alive" Ludwig simply stated. The two hobbit's eyes filled with horror. Evil nations could by far do more damage than any orc possibly could. Orcs were the worst form of physical evil that Merry or Pippin knew of, so picturing something even worse was rather devastating.

"I-I see!" Pippin said nervously. Merry was nervous too, but he dared not show it. He needed to be strong and set an example for Pippin. "So how exactly do we get to this...2p realm?" Meriadoc asked bravely. "It's quite simple, really. They are literally next door to our area" Ludwig said. Th-that close!? Well, at least the 2ps knew their boundaries. "It's-a very scary place! But I suppose I could go with-a you" Feli chimed nervously. The other three nations stood to their feet. "We will come too" They said in unison.

Before long, all the nations were prepared to leave. The only one who travelled heavy was Ludwig, as he thought of every possible conflict and grabbed a tool to aid. As the two axis were leading the way, the two Baltics held the hobbits' hands to make sure they didn't go astray. On they went, toward the land of the 2ps.


	7. A Visit to the Pub

_Brace yourself for insane 2pness_

* * *

The team of six—consisting of four personified nations and two hobbits—walked to the outskirts of the 1p town, and becoming only minutes away from crossing the 2p border. 2ps, just for you as the reader's information, are also personified nations, but represent a different part. You see, the 1ps are the ones that represent the country as a whole. The good, the bad, and the ug—other attributes. The 2ps however, only represent the evil of each country. It is a hard concept to explain, so lets just simplify it this way: 2ps are all bad in some way and are total opposites of 1ps. Period.

The team finally crossed the dividing line. The only one who was really nervous was Feli, the others were either cool with it or didn't know what to expect. They kept going and things seemed to be calm. There was nobody on the street, strangely. However, the big pub across the road seemed to be packed. "Let's check there, first." Toris suggested. The others had an uneasy feeling about it, but it was their only choice. They hesitantly walked into the pub.

As expected, things were very lively in here. The televisions were flipped to a police show that was showing different murder, rape, fire, and miscellaneous cases; not at all surprising. Some nations were enjoying their lager, some were glued to the police show, a few played pool, and others did different activities. "This is like the Prancing Pony but in a more...otherworldly way," Merry stated as he looked around. The Prancing Pony was the name of a very popular pub in middle-earth, so it was only natural for him to think of it.

They took seats at the bar and waited patiently for the bartender to get to them. The bartender was a very sweet looking guy with orange hair, blue eyes, and a cute freckled face. How could such a man be considered a 2p? He didn't look bad, but there was more than what met the eye. "Hello! What can I get for you today?" he asked in a kind voice that possessed a strong British accent. He went down the line, asking the same question to each customer, until he laid his gaze upon the hobbits. "I very sorry, poppets, but this is no place for children like you" Said the bartender as he gave them little head pats.

"We aren't children, we are hobbits," Merry said as he slowly pushed the tender's hands away. Having people mistake them for children got unnerving. "Oh, I'm afraid I don't know what a hobbit is, but it sounds a lot like poppet so I guess I was close enough" He said with an adorable smile. "So do you have pints?" Merry asked. The tender nodded. "I'm getting one too" Pippin chimed. The tender again nodded and went to pour the two pints of lager. "So what's so bad about him?" Pippin asked Toris, who was seated on his left side. "That's Oliver. He is the 2p for Britain. He isn't bad on the outside, but he makes cupcakes out of his enemies. Literally. So when he says 'easy as cake', run" Toris explained.

Pippin went pale in the face. Even nasty orcs or even an evil lord like Sauron would never turn people into cupcakes and eat them! The thought! Just from thinking about it, he let out a little whimper. "Two pints for two poppets!" Oliver said happily as he set the mugs down. He was very fond of little creatures so he couldn't pass up an opportunity to give them each another pat on the head. "Enjoy!"

Enjoy the hobbits did. The pints were downed in less than a minute; quite impressive for someone that is only as big as a child. "I've never seen someone of your size drink a pint that fast. Very...amazing...if I do say" Said a voice from the other side of Merry. A man with shoulder length blond hair, red eyes, a scar on his cheek, and a cigarette in his mouth stared at them emotionlessly. Long moments passed of just staring until the man blew a puff of smoke and made Merry cough. "Names Francois. Not that it matters, but people need something to call you by." The man said after the smoke had dissipated.

Merry pretended he was deaf and looked away. "I know you can hear me, cutie-pie" Francois said as he trailed a hand up the back of Merry's neck, causing him to shiver. "I would love to get my hands on you," He added with a satisfied smirk. He pulled away immediately however after Oliver saw what he was doing. "Hands off my poppets you rapist!" Shouted the Brit. Francois nodded submissively and Oliver smacked a pint in front of him. "Try drinking your beer instead of someone's milk for a change," He snapped.

So there's a man that turns people into cupcakes and a rapist. What next? A man that likes axe murder? To be honest, there was a 2p that enjoyed doing that, but he wasn't the one that introduced himself next. "Oliver! Give me two!" Said a voice from the distance. The man it belonged to looked a lot like Feli, just a few minor changes. For instance, he wore different clothes, had purple eyes, and was altogether plain evil. "Now, I said!" He commanded as he threw his knife by the poor Brit's head, missing only by an inch. "Aye! Right on it!" Oliver said fearfully as he hurried to get two mugs of lager.

"Th-that's my 2p" Feli stammered as he huddled close to Ludwig. He didn't like his 2p at all, and was quite afraid of him to be frank. I mean...who wouldn't be? He was a murderer, a dominant beast, and ate pasta with blood sauce. You can gag, and I certainly don't blame you. Oliver set the two mugs down and the Italian 2p took a seat. Another man, one resembling Ludwig a lot, sat next to him. "Is that your 2p?" Merry asked the German. Ludwig nodded and kept a close eye on the two.

"Where's Kuro!? He's always so fudging late!" Luciano, the Italian 2p, complained aloud. Kuro...who exactly was that? A few minutes later, a Japanese man with short black hair and dark piercing eyes took a seat by the other two. He wore a very fancy oriental suit, and it honestly didn't match with the pub setting at all. "I'm sorry for my absence. That stupid Chinese man was occupying too much of my valuable time" He said coldly. It was obvious from the way he spoke that he was a very intelligent man. He also had a slight accent, but it was as if he trained himself to talk normally. That in itself might as well be a miracle.

He didn't ask for any drink, and just sat there as if thinking deeply about something. Merry and Pippin both were curious as to what was going on in that mysterious mind. "FIRE IN THE KITCHEN!" Shouted a voice suddenly; which instantly shattered the deep thoughts. Kuro sprung to action, running into the kitchen immediately. There were unearthly screams mixed with the sounds of water splashing coming from that kitchen for several minutes. When it ended, Kuro came out, holding a blond boy in a choke hold.

The boy had glowing red eyes and a bloody scar on his left cheek. It may not matter much, but he also had a little hair curl that seemed to be detached. How exactly it stayed in place, nobody knows. "Oh goodness! I guess I forgot to tell Gillen not to let Lokki see the fire" Oliver said. So...Lokki was this pyromaniac's name. But I tell you, he only goes on burning spree if he sees fire. Otherwise, it can be truly said that he is among the strangest 2ps. He is nice, yet evil; sane yet psychotic. It may sound like some old riddle, but to put things in simpler terms, Lokki was a man of multiple personalities.

"I am so sorry! It's my fault!" Said a voice of a young boy. He had a patch over one eye, silver hair, dark red eyes, and a polished pistol on his belt. He couldn't stop apologizing as he pulled Lokki away from Kuro. "You must forgive me and my brother" the boy kept saying. Kuro said nothing and only arched a brow. The boy, known as Egil, was always known as one to apologize too much, always hold promises, and be naughty with guns. His over apologizing meant nothing to Kuro, so he thought it as a waste of breath.

"Okay, hush. We get it" He said to Egil as he unsheathed his sword, called a katana. Egil nodded and was instantly quiet. He usually always listened to what he was told, which was most unlike his 1p personification. Kuro put the sword back into its holder and sat in his chair, continuing to think intently about some arcane subject.

This whole time, the hobbits hadn't uttered a word. It was wise to continue being silent, but Pippin spoke up out of curiosity. "What are you thinking about?" He instinctively asked Kuro. The Japanese man made no comment, and instead it was Ludwig's 2p that spoke. "He doesn't like to be bothered" He softly said, then looked at the ground shyly. Pippin simply nodded and turned his gaze to the television. They were showing an intense scene of the cops chasing a woman with a gun. The hobbits were still getting used to the concept of guns, and that was perhaps the only reason they kept watching.

"How do those work anyway?" Merry asked confusedly. "I'll tell you later" Ludwig whispered, "Just keep your volume down" Keep their volume down? Why? They weren't very noisy as it was, but that was about to change. A very loud bang echoed through the pub, silencing everything except the televisions. It was so quiet in fact that you could probably hear a pencil drop even if you didn't have hobbit hearing. A boy with short blond hair and deep red irises came in the door. His name was Thurston, and he was the evilest male 2p, only rivaled by Luciano. Everyone respected him and never questioned. However, the hobbits didn't know that and spoke as if he were anyone else.

"Greetings, kind sir!" Pippin said with an adorable smile. He had no understanding of just how bad Thurston could be, and obviously didn't catch the hint that Ludwig clearly presented. "Me? Kind?" Thurston asked, a dark aura beginning to surround him as an evil smirk spread across his face. "Tell me, what is your name?" Ludwig face palmed as Pippin told the honest truth. "Peregrine Took!" He replied. He was very foolish for saying so, but was too innocent to wonder why he shouldn't be kind to the new man.

Thurston laughed aloud, finding the innocence of the little hobbit quite comical. "Okay, Peregrine Took. Are you any good at dancing?" He asked. "Oh yes. Very good. Especially with my foot-work" Pippin responded, still having a bright smile. Merry quickly clasped his hand over Pippin's mouth, but didn't do so before the sentence was finished. "I see. Well then stand in the middle of the floor for me and do a dance." Thurston commanded. It was obvious he had something dark in mind, but it was hard to tell what.

Having no choice but to obey, Pippin did as Thurston said and stood in the middle of the floor. He was about to ask what dance he should do, but didn't get a chance before the evil 2p made his move. Thurston took the rifle off his back and began to shoot at the little hobbit's feet. "Dance, I said!" He commanded again as he laughed insanely. Pippin was frightened and did whatever he could to avoid the bullets being shot at his hairy hobbit toes.

Eventually he became tired, but Thurston was relentless. "Your feet only stop when I run out of bullets!" He shouted. He didn't like being called "Kind" "Nice" "Caring" or the like, and showed his wrath to anyone who called him by such devastating adjectives. He could have done much worse than this if he wanted to, so it was okay to say that Pippin was actually rather lucky. "Look, I don't know what he did, but you have no right to do this!" Merry shouted boldly. "Do you want to dance too?" Thurston asked, finally ceasing fire. Merry was scared by the dark expression the evil 2p gave him. It was so frightening in fact that he wanted nothing more than to shrivel up in a corner never to be heard from again. That however, was not gonna happen.

"I've seen others like you walk through here, and let me tell you that I'm not afraid to put holes in your big feet" Thurston said as he spit on the ground next to Merry's foot. "But I suppose I have better things to do rather than waste my time with you" And with that, he went over to the pool table, using his gun as a pool stick. Merry and Pippin sighed in relief as Ludwig lifted them on his shoulders. "At least we know that your friends did like, come here. He did say so after all" Feliks said, pondering on Thurston's words. He indeed did say that, and both fear and comfort came from those words. It was comforting to know that Frodo and whomever came with him weren't far, but at the same time, they didn't know what misfortune had been brought upon them.

* * *

 _If you like this one so far, maybe you could check out my other stories. If you have comments or suggestions, please put them in a review/PM. I always like hearing what people have to say about my work, so if you are able, please do so._


	8. Rescue Mission

_Just wanted to apologize for the wait. I've been working hard on my other stories, beta-reading, and personal life. Enjoy though!_

* * *

The six travelers, four nations and two hobbits, left the pub and continued on their way. The hobbits were sitting on Ludwig's tall shoulders, scanning the area for any place that might lead to the finding of their friends. Thurston had blatantly said that he had seen them, which sparked a bit of hope. "So which 2p is known for kidnapping?" Merry asked. That shouldn't have been a hard question to answer, but it really was. A lot of 2ps liked to stow away with innocent victims, so it was difficult to narrow it down.

"Most of them to be honest" Ludwig replied, "I don't know of one that specifies in kidnapping." "I do" Feliks chimed. He knew the 1p Slovak family very well, and he thought of them as opposites. After a little thinking, he came up with a logical answer. "Anastasia" He said.

She was the 2p personification of Belarus, the 1p being a girl that liked to chase people around. Taking that to the opposite extreme, that would mean her 2p would like to bring everyone to herself. That's logic, isn't it? It's not always useless. "I see what you're saying," Toris said, "And I wouldn't turn down the possibility" So it was settled then and there. They would go to Anastasia's house and inspect. She wasn't too bad of a nation in 2p form, so if all went will, they supposed it would go swimmingly.

You could tell her house apart from everyone else's due to the overly decorated yard. The 1p wasn't that fancy of a gal, so it would only seem right that the 2p version liked to spruce everything up. The only problem was that her sense of decoration was rather...disturbing. I won't go into detail, but let's just say there was a lot of red splotches and realistic male manikins missing 'body parts'. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Feli hesitantly knocked on the door with light knocks. A few moments later, a rather beautiful woman with well-endowed proportions answered the door. She had light brown hair that reached almost to the floor and bright red eyes. Taking into consideration her devilishly beautiful appearance, it was easy to see how any man could instantly become attracted to her. However, the men that came to her door were on a mission, and were not easily swayed. Not even by the most gorgeous 2p of them all.

"May I help you?" She asked, her words flowing like water from her lips. The only ones who seemed to be affected by her seduction were the hobbits, as they always had an eye for women, and Anastasia definitely caught their eye. "Yeah, have you seen any little creatures that look like them?" Feli asked, pointing to the little men on Ludwig's shoulders. Anastasia gazed up at them with a look that made their hearts seem to skip a beat. "As a matter of fact, I have" She said, sending them a subtle wink.

"They stayed for a while, but then my stupid sister came along and took them to my brother's house. If you want to come in for a quick rest though, be my guests" the girl continued to say. Pippin spoke before he thought, saying "Okay! We can do that!" in a rather adorable way. Anastasia laughed and let them inside. Ludwig would have face palmed again, but couldn't due to the fact he had hobbits on his shoulders.

They went into her house and looked around. Compared to her yard decorations, the decorations inside her home were very nice. She had all kinds of wall decorations that had intricate designs among many other things. She also had a very neat kitchen, which was one thing that hobbits always looked at. They found women that kept their kitchens tidy rather attractive. "So do you want anything to drink or eat?" Anastasia asked as she got some cups from the cabinet. It was a fact that Merry and Pippin could always fit more food in their bellies, so they said "yes" in a very thankful way.

Anastasia got them each a little cake and a cup of grape juice. "Careful not to spill it on your clothes" She warned. The hobbits nodded and enjoyed her cakes. There was a long pause of silence as they ate, as nobody had anything to say. Perhaps they didn't speak for fear of saying the wrong thing. Those manikins in her front yard could be them if they made her upset or offended her in any way.

Everyone was startled when the front door slung open. The hobbits were so shocked that they choked on their cake. "The sister is home!" Shouted a voice. It belonged to a woman that had short red hair, purple eyes, and a very shapely figure. Katya was her name, and she was the sister of Anastasia and the brother of Viktor. Katya, though beautiful on the outside, was quite ugly and gnarled on the inside. She didn't care for anybody but herself and dragged those who she especially hated to her brother's house.

"Katya! We were only talking about you moments ago!" Anastasia said with a bright smile. Katya came in as if her sister had said nothing. Of course, Anastasia was used to that. "Who are these little rats!?" The Ukrainian 2p said, motioning to the six men in their living room. "I just got done delivering three idiots to brother's house and six more arrive!?" Indeed she looked very angry and her nose was flared. Her appearance was frightening.

"Please, they only wanted to stay for a while. They are heading to Viktor's house." Anastasia said calmly. Katya crinkled her nose in disgust. "I'll make sure they get there. That's for sure." She said darkly. "I'll carry the two kids myself then the other four of you can walk!" She added. She grabbed the back of the hobbit's shirts with each hand and picked them up like they were nothing. "Let's go boys"

She walked out the still-opened door, and the 1p nations followed after her. "Good luck!" Anastasia said with a smile as she waved, "Come again soon! Maybe we can play with toys!" "Toys?" Merry asked aloud. "Don't ask about it" Feli said from behind, "They aren't very fun toys."

On they went, down a narrow pathway. On and on it went for about half an hour until a house was in sight. One very lonely isolated house. Whomever lived here must like a quiet and undisturbed life, but if that's the case, what did they do with all these people that Katya brought to them? That was a question that sadly nobody could answer as of yet.

Katya kicked the door a few times and waited. Soon, a tall man with dark brown hair and crimson colored eyes answered the door. He said nothing, and only stared at the people on his doorstep. "Special delivery" Katya said as she dropped the hobbits, letting them fall to the ground with a thud. The man watched them fall, but didn't express any emotion. "Thank you" He said plainly. Katya nodded and left, leaving the six travelers on Viktor's doorstep.

The 1p nations came into his house without speaking a word. If Viktor had nothing to say, then neither did they for the time being. His house was dark, not having but one light on in the entire house. The walls had nothing on them. Not a picture, not a decoration, just plain grey walls. Everything about this house was plain anyways though. In contrast to Anastasia's house, her home would be a palace. Viktor seemed to enjoy it, but it was hard to tell if he enjoyed anything.

"So...where are our friends?" Merry asked after a long awkward pause of silence had passed. Viktor said nothing, but simply pointed to a door that was shadowed by the darkness. Pippin went over to it and found that the door was locked. "Can you let us in?" He asked. Viktor stared blankly for a moment then reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a key and tossed it to the little hobbit. "Just like that? No catch to it?" Feli asked. He seemed to be shocked at how Viktor was so nonchalant.

"I'm not hiding anything. Take them away if you wish" He said, "I prefer to be alone anyways" So that's why he made it so simple? He didn't like people around him, so he just stuffed them all in his basement. Creepy, but at least he didn't torture them like some 2ps would have. Pippin unlocked the door and stared down the black hallway. It was so dark that nothing could be seen and there was no light switch to be found. The little Took cautiously went down the steps, tripping every now and then but catching himself. The stairway seemed to last forever, though that was only because of the number of steps, not that it actually went on for very long.

He finally reached the bottom, Merry, Toris, and Feliks following him. Ludwig and Feli stayed upstairs to keep an eye on Viktor in case he tried anything. He could be a very unpredictable fellow, so it was wise to keep an eye on him at all times. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Pippin called out into the darkness. All he got as a response was silence. That was unsettling, but due to the darkness, it was impossible to tell if there were other rooms that could have people in them.

The four felt along the walls and it seemed to be a hallway. They kept feeling until a doorknob touched one of their hands. "I think like, it's a door to someplace." Feliks stated as he turned the knob. The door opened, but like everything else down here, it was pitch black. Feliks felt the wall for a light switch and surprisingly, there was one. He flipped it and the little room was illuminated. A man sat in the corner tied up and gagged. That was probably why there was no response.

"Legolas!" Pippin called as he rushed to the man. It looked very unusual to see an Elvish warrior bound like this. The hobbits hurried to take the gag off and unbind the elf while the others watched. The elf, who had been referred to as Legolas, stood tall. His hair was long and so blond that it was almost white. His eyes were a very unnatural but gorgeous shade of light blue. He also had fair skin and pointed ears. "That's an elf...?" Toris asked, almost not believing it.

"What did you think I was?" Legolas asked, his head turned sideways a little. "I totally thought you were an elf, it's like, okay" Feliks spoke up. He lied, but Legolas took it as truth. He had no idea that the countries' vision of elves were of little short nasty things that made toys for kids. Turned out, they couldn't be any more wrong. Elves were tall, lean, and beautiful beings with amazing agility and immortality. That doesn't sound like a Christmas elf, now does it?

"Though it was very unexpected that you came to my rescue" Legolas began, looking down at the Took and the Brandybuck, "I can't thank you enough. Now we shall go save the others." Ah, that was right. Katya had said she brought three people here, and it was presumable that they were probably friends of the hobbits. "Right away! But to tell you the truth, we would never have gotten here without Toris and Feliks" Pippin said as he motioned up to the two countries. Legolas nodded to them and smiled. That was the Elvish way to say "Thank you" without speaking a word.

They went out of the room and continued down the hall. They kept going and it wasn't long before they found another doorknob. Opening it, and turning the light on, they found a woman sitting in the corner in the same way Legolas did. She was also an elf, and she knew Legolas very well. Tauriel was her name, and she had bright green eyes accompanied by long red hair. A very beautiful sight she was, and especially after she was freed. "Thank you. All of you." Was all she said.

The ever growing party went further down the hall until they hit the back of it. "There's no third door?" Merry asked. "We probably passed it up without knowing" Toris replied. They went back down the hall, now having two extra hands to search for doorknobs. "I..I like, found another one!" Feliks called. He opened the door and yet another character was inside. "Frodo! Frodo! It must be Frodo!" Pippin said excitedly. Toris turned the light on, and to their dismay, it wasn't Frodo at all. Instead, it was none other than Bilbo Baggins.

The only thing was that Bilbo didn't look old...not that old anyways. Maybe something happened when he went through the portal that reversed his physical age to when he first found the power ring. Odd, yes, but when dealing with magic, you can only expect the impossible. His hair was brown and curly and his eyes were a deep hazel; just like when he was in his forties. He seemed very glad to see the others and hugged them close. He even hugged the two nations. He rarely hugged people he didn't know, so that was a high honor coming from him.

They were about to speak, but then heard a commotion from upstairs. Feli screaming frantically sounded like most of it. "Get out! Get out now!" They heard Ludwig shout. Viktor must have done something, but the hall was dark and the rooms had no windows. "We're going to have to brave it" Tauriel said as she found her way down the hall. The others followed closely behind. They finally made it upstairs where the single light was on. Viktor was nowhere to be seen and Feli's screaming had ceased.

"Let's just get out. Maybe he's buying us time" Toris said as he ran for the front door. The others agreed and ran after him, leaving the house. Now they were in the broad daylight and safe from evil 2p Russians, but they were also two countries short. "We can't leave without Ludwig and Feli!" Merry said to the others. "Those two have been in tighter situations, and I can assure you that they have everything under control. We just need to leave the 2p lands" Toris said aloud. There was a short pause, but then they all raced for the 1p lands. There, they could be safe and call for reinforcement from other countries


	9. Gaining Nordic Support

The group, now consisting of two countries, two elves, and three hobbits, crossed the border back into the 1p lands. They were safe from the 2ps, but now they had two major issues. Ludwig and Feli were gone, and Frodo was still nowhere to be seen. "When that red-headed girl took us to that man's house, I suspected that Frodo escaped. I was rendered unconscious, so I can't say anything else" Bilbo reported. That wasn't much information, but it was better than nothing. However, that meant that Frodo could be anywhere.

"We will have to gain the support of other countries. That's the only way we will get enough eyes to help us look" Toris said with a finger pointing to his eyes. Indeed that was true, and very much needed. "I wouldn't bother with the allies, but we have like, other groups we can talk to or whatever" Feliks has stated. Indeed, the allies probably wouldn't help, and if they did, it would cost a large price. Gathering smaller nations together would be easier and better.

A small quarrel occurred as they sorted things out. "Me and the hobbits will go to the Micro-nations while you and the elves go to the Nordics" Toris said, relaying the game plan. Everyone nodded and split ways. Feliks and the elves would go to the Nordic household while Toris and the hobbits would head to the micro-nation's place. Hopefully, this would work out smoothly. After all, the Nordics were mythology nerds and the Elves would appeal to them. Likewise, the micro-nations were small, which made it logical to assume that they would find the hobbits appealing. Some say that first impressions are very important, and according to logic, they made the right choice.

The Nordic's house was the closest one, and therefore the first one we will focus on. Feliks knocked upon the door and there was a long, long pause. Finally, a man that looked a lot like Thurston answered the door. His eyes were large and brown, not serious and colored red as his 2p. His hair was also a very light blond and his face was much friendlier than Thurston's. His name was Tino. Tino Väinamoinen if you're the kind of person that likes specifics. "Hello there! What brings you to our door?" He asked in a very cute voice. Unlike Thurston's gruff tone, Tino's possessed a very happy-sounding voice that was of a higher octave than most.

"We like, need your help. Think you can like, spare us some time or whatever?" Feliks asked. Tino nodded and let the Polish personification, along with his Elvin friends, come inside. The Nordic home was very simple but nice. Their decorating style was similar to how the Hobbits liked their homes. Nothing was too fancy, and not a single detail seemed to stand out. Everything just flowed and produced a very homely feel. Sadly, the hobbits weren't here to enjoy it, but the elves found it quite comfortable even though it wasn't particularly their style. They were the kind of people that liked things elaborate and awe-inspiring.

There was silence as everyone found a seat. Tino excused himself for a moment to fetch everyone a cup of warm coffee, which was a staple in the Nordic diet. "So like, where are the others?" Feliks asked after taking a sip of his rather delicious coffee. "Well, Lukas is out for a hike, Emil is talking with his bird, Mathias is in the shower, and Berwald is probably making furniture. I can go round them up if you like" Tino said in response. "That would be very much appreciated. Thank you." Tauriel said before anyone else could utter a word. Tino nodded, excused himself once more, and raced outside.

Feliks and the elves waited patiently, not saying anything as they drank their coffee. It had only been about five minutes and Tino came back. That was...fast. "Everyone will be here soon" He said with a smile. It was only moments later that the front door opened. A young boy, maybe the age of sixteen, entered. His hair was a shining silver and his eyes held an icy blue color. He was called Emil, which was the 1p counterpart of Egil, whom was met at the pub. Unlike Egil, Emil never apologized, never submitted to authority, and was rather ruthless with his words more so than his actions.

"What stupidity was I called for this time?" He asked impatiently. "We have visitors! Very nice ones in need of our assistance! Don't be spouting off your mouth, okay?" Tino replied rather crossly. Though he was a male, he had an authority that was similar to a mother when talking to her child. Emil simply rolled his eyes and sat down square on the floor. He was a very difficult character, which will be proven out many times if you pay close attention.

Another character, named Lukas, entered a couple minutes later. He was the 1p counterpart of Lokki, whom we had also met at the pub two chapters ago. In contrast to Lokki, Lukas was very calm and controlled. He only spoke when it fit the time or when he was spouting off insults at Mathias. He, like all the Nordics, had blond hair, but only his had one particular curl that stood out profoundly. It also looked like it was detached, just like Lokki's. His eyes were a deep blue that held a mysterious essence. Looking at him in the face, he seemed to be incapable of showing emotion, and he rarely did unless certain circumstance occurred.

"Sorry it took so long. I was talking to the trolls" He said plainly. Tauriel and Legolas looked rather confused as to how a man could be so calm and talk to trolls. In their eyes, trolls couldn't keep a conversation going unless it involved the roasting of humans, which they believed Lukas wouldn't like to talk about. Lukas noticed their confusion and added, "He's my pet troll" which only puzzled the elves further. Trolls were irrational beings and to have one as a pet...well it must be a sheer miracle or an amazing freak of nature. They wanted to question Lukas about his trolls, but he spoke first.

"Are you...Elves?" He asked as he looked at their ears. He was the most knowledgeable on mythological beings, and according to his knowledge, Tauriel and Legolas were divine elves. They slowly nodded. Lukas smiled a big smile, which was a drastic change in comparison to the emotionless face he had ever since entering the house. "I've always wanted to meet an actual elf, so I'm very obliged to be in your presence" He said. It was evident in his tone that he was very excited, but he did a good job at not showing it much. Just as Toris had planned, the elves were making a good impression on the Nordic family.

Before another word was said, another man, who had been referred to as Mathias, stepped in. As Tino had mentioned earlier, he had just gotten out of the shower. You could tell because he was wearing a bathrobe and his hair dripped with water. Despite how damp it was, the Danish man's hair managed to stand straight up as it always did. His droopy blue eyes looked at the small gathering in the living room and he was totally ecstatic to see visitors. Especially Elvish visitors.

"WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF THE KING OF THE NORTH!" He shouted as he did a very silly pose. It's not really that the pose itself was silly, but the fact he was in a bathrobe made it so. "SO WHAT'S YER PURPOSE FOR COMING!?" There was a pause, but then Tauriel spoke up. She explained the situation in a very simple, to the point kind of way. Mathias understood and smiled widely. It didn't long for him to say "yes" to helping the group find their friend that had gone astray. However, though he, Tino, and Lukas had agreed to help, Berwald and Emil were yet to be convinced.

Lukas and Mathias sat on each side of Emil and urged him to say yes. "No, no. I'm not gonna help 'em!" The Icelander complained. Despite his words, the Dane and Norwegian kept urging him relentlessly. After a while, he couldn't take it any longer. "Fine! Fine! I'll do it, I'll do it! Just shut up!" He shrieked in annoyance. This was how his brother and Mathias got him to do things. They bothered him until he got fed up and had no choice except to say yes. If he was given a choice, he would always most likely say "no".

Just then, the final Nordic entered. His name was Berwald. He was the tallest and eldest, but also the quietest and possessed the deepest voice of them. He was the only Nordic to wear glasses. He also usually had a stoic expression, and could control his emotions even better than Lukas. Berwald was exceptional at woodworking and blacksmithing, which had shown many times to be very useful. "Hey Berwald! What do ya say about helping out these folk?" Mathias asked him. Like usual, all the Swede said was "mm" which was his favorite word.

Though "Mm" seems like a very insignificant word, the way Berwald hummed it, it could mean a lot of things. This time it was being used in place of "Let me think". There was a pause as he looked the elves over and listened to Feliks explain the situation. He let out another "Mm", this time meaning "Sure I will". So it was settled. The nations had agreed to help look for Frodo, which was a good thing. A very, very good thing. This meant that there were five extra pairs of eyes to help look, which meant two things. One, Frodo would be found faster. Two, they could see to make sure that 2p's weren't coming. The elves thanked the nations beforehand, and all of them went outside and parted ways so that they could cover more ground. If things went well, Frodo could be safe within hours.

* * *

 _Next chapter will be up A.S.A.P  
_


	10. Micro Help

As the Nordics, Feliks, and the stunningly beautiful elves searched northward, Toris and the hobbits seeked to gain the alliance of the micro-nations, who resided more southward. There were a lot more micro-nations than Nordics, so Toris had more heads he had to convince than Feliks did. Despite the fact that it seemed harder, Toris was smart and could think of a way to get through things very well.

He knocked on the Micro-nation's door. There was an uproar inside, and at least seven distinct voices could be heard. Finally, a little girl with light brown hair that was styled in a one-sided curly ponytail answered. She had paint splotches on her face and clothes. Looking at her, you could tell that some artistic party was probably taking place inside. Most of the micro-nations liked art, so that wasn't hard to believe.

"What do you want?" She asked in a very high-pitched voice. "We need your help" Toris said, "It's a very urgent matter and if you help, well you may just get your place on the map" The micro-nation's liked the sound of that. Toris and the hobbits were let inside at once. At first, there was not a single word spoken among them. Instead, they counted the number of micro-nations present. There was Sealand, Wy, Monaco, Kugelmugel, Luxembourg, Ladonia, and Seborga. There were one or two other micro-nations, but they were always off gallivanting wherever they wished and never stayed with the main group.

Each micro-nation was unique in appearance and personality, and perhaps their group held the most diversity of any band of countries. Official or not. Monaco and Wy were both girls, while the other five were boys. None of them looked older than thirteen, which showed that they were small nations. Since they were all small, they took a liking to other small people too, probably because they could relate with them. This Is where the hobbits would play a big role. And the fact that they weren't countries made their influence stronger. In fact, if it weren't for the hobbits, the micro-nations wouldn't have listened to Toris at all.

Even though they were all unique in their own way, there was one thing that they had in common. If you guessed "Self-confidence issues", you are exactly right. They were the group that received the most criticism, judgment, and persecution. Being called "Waste of land" had become normal for them. Due to this, they greatly doubted their power and rarely ventured outside of their small—and I mean small—territory. They doubted they could even accomplish a simple task of finding a lost friend.

"I...I really don't think we can..." Luxembourg said shyly once Toris had explained the situation and everyone had been acquainted. "We've never done any rescue missions and it sounds dangerous!" Ladonia said shakily. It was apparent that the micro-nations were somewhat afraid to leave their safe haven. Outside of their boundaries, they knew that there were other nations that would jump on them like cats with mice.

The hobbits expected Toris to do all the talking, but now seeing that the Lithuanian had no idea what to say, they spoke up. "I used to be just like you," Bilbo began to say. The micro-nations immediately gave him their full attention. "I was afraid to leave my home. Afraid of the world that lie ahead. But then I..." He paused and shifted his head. After thinking for a second or two, he continued, "Then I found courage and with it, I also found adventure. Was there tragedy? Yes, yes! Of course!" A sigh escaped the mouths of the micro-nations while he paused. "But, in the end, I felt more alive than I ever had." He finished.

The micro-nations pondered his words. "Yes! I see what you mean! Maybe we should be courageous!" was the thought of Sealand, Kugel, and Seborga. "I'm not so sure, but I guess we can help" were the thoughts of Wy, Luxembourg, and Ladonia. "I shall have none of it!" Monaco shouted loudly, her thought on the matter being made audible. It was obvious that changing her thoughts was going to be difficult. More difficult than Emil, whom the other group had convinced to help them just by annoying him. Monaco however, was not so easily annoyed or swayed.

Luckily for Toris, Monaco liked the hobbits, and Merry specifically. She could relate to him most. After a pause, she finally spoke. "Give me a good reason to help, and then I might consider it" She said with her arms folded. Merry and Pippin each took a seat beside her while Bilbo leaned against the closest wall. "When we find Frodo, we can have a good 'ole hobbit party and you can join!" Pippin said. That was the best excuse he could come up with. To his dismay, Monaco wasn't a party fanatic and was quite comfortable simply with a pad of paper and a pencil. In her opinion, parties were too busy.

"You can be recognized as a very brave girl. That's an honor, isn't it?" Bilbo asked. Also to their dismay, Monaco didn't care for fame and could care less what people recognized her as. She was a very simple girl that only desired a joyous life. Fame, recognition, titles; it all meant nothing to her. She humphed and shook her head, blatantly rejecting Bilbo's offer. Now it was Merry's turn, and he had to think of a good thing to offer. She didn't like parties and she didn't care for recognition...but there was one other area. Relationships.

"If you help us, I'm sure your friends and family will be proud of you. Plus, adventures are the best ways to meet new people" He said, hoping that he had worded what he wanted to say correctly. Monaco paused, blinked, and considered. She loved making new friends and she liked Merry. Maybe...if she helped...Merry would want to be her friend too. "I...I'll try to help you" She stuttered after a long, long pause. Merry smiled and hugged her. Normally, she'd probably shove him off, but she liked him too much for that.

"So what must we do? Does it involve art?" Kugel asked. He was an art fanatic, so it was natural for that to be his first question. "You are helping us find a hobbit, so I doubt we will need art, but you never know what to expect on an adventure" Toris said. Bilbo especially knew that was true. He had lived it. "Ah I see..." Was all the art-fanatic boy said. "I'm really good at finding things, so as long as you have me, you need not to worry!" Ladonia said with a wink. He was indeed the best at searching for things.

Seborga and Sealand cheered as the micro-nations and hobbits followed Toris' instruction. "Our friends are going northward, so that means we shall search southward!" He said, "Split into pairs and let's spread out!" It was a scramble to get into pairs, but finally everyone figured out who they wanted as a partner. Monaco and Merry, as you might have imagined, were the first to pair up. Second was Ladonia and Kugel. They tended to compliment each other well when paired. Bilbo and Luxembourg were also a pair, but they had nothing in common that anyone knew of. Pippin and Seborga were both very energetic characters, so they made a fine pair. Lastly, since the number of them was uneven, Sealand, Wy, and Toris made up the final pairing.

Without further adieu, they split ways and all searched in different directions.

 _I, as a writer, want to go into detail about what each pairing, including Feliks' bunch, were doing. I'll be sure to label the sections to make sure you, the reader, don't get too confuzzled_.


	11. Pairs and Trios Abroad

_I apologize for the delay. been busy busy busy!_

* * *

Felik's group had also split into pairs. Unlike Toris' group, his group could be divided into an equal amount. Lukas with Legolas, Berwald with Tino, Feliks with Mathias, and Emil with Tauriel.

* * *

 _ **EMIL AND TAURIEL**_

Emil didn't really know what to think of her. He got really nervous around women, especially those from a different race. Tauriel was tall, strong, drop-dead gorgeous, and very athletic. Those attributes added to his intimidation. For the first hour they were together, he couldn't bring himself to say anything and she had been silent. He knew he had to break the ice, but how would he do it? As if she could read his mind, she finally spoke right before he opened his mouth. "So you are a personified nation, right?" Was all she said.

Emil was startled by her sudden speaking and it took him quite a while to answer the fairly easy question. "Y-Yes! I am!" He managed to sputter out. A smile spread across Tauriel's face. Maybe she wasn't as stoic as he thought she was. "Why do you ask?" He asked after another pause had occurred. "I just think it's a fascinating concept. Countries as people. I never knew such things existed" She replied, not seeming quite as scary as she did only a few minutes ago. Likewise, up until an hour ago, Emil didn't know that such wonderful beings as elves existed.

Usually he was a very stubborn boy, but when around Tauriel, it was difficult to defy her. She had a certain...thing about her that was hard to explain. Every time Emil tried to be hard-headed, she had a way to soften him up again. "So which nation are you a personification of?" She had asked. "N-Not telling you! That's none of your business!" Emil retorted. He looked at her with a stern expression...then after a while he gave up. "Alright! Iceland!" He said in defeat. The amazing thing was that she just had to be herself and people couldn't help but to be honest with her. That was the Elvish charm.

* * *

 ** _LUKAS WITH LEGOLAS_**

They had begun to talk as soon as they started walking. Lukas was full of questions and he wasn't being his usual quiet self at all. In fact, he was acting like a totally different person. His constant stream of questions would normally drive anyone—even elves—to the brink of insanity, but Legolas had much experience with people that asked many questions and talked a lot. Gimli was the name of a dwarf that Legolas had learned a lot of self-control from. Gimli would always badger him and tease him, so Lukas was very easy to deal with.

Legolas simply answered the Norwegian's questions calmly and with a smile. He found Lukas' fascination rather interesting. "So, let me ask you a question now," He said after they'd been walking about thirty minutes, "How do you keep trolls as pets?" Lukas paused for a moment and pondered how he should answer. He finally decided that showing would be more efficient than explaining. The Norwegian snapped his fingers and called out the name "Munch!" into the air.

To Legolas' surprise, a green creature that floated and had long hair appeared out of what seemed like nothing. "What kind of a troll is that? I've never seen one like that" The elf said, looking rather impressed. Lukas petted the troll's hair and a smile came across his solemn face. "He's a guardian troll. A very special type that is bound to only one person." He said matter-of-factly. "Tell me more" Legolas said, his interest ever-growing. Lukas obliged and began to tell about his very special troll.

* * *

 _ **TINO AND BERWALD**_

These two were very good friends, but now they had something to talk about. Of course, Berwald didn't say much more than "mm" so it was Tino that did all the talking. Well...most of it anyways. Tino was known as being the Santa of the Hetalian world, and he was troubled by a certain issue. "You know how Tauriel and Legolas are elves?" "MM" "Well...i was thinking..." "mm?" "Do you think that if I told them I was Santa that they would be scared of me?" "mmmm..." There was a long, long while of silence as Tino contemplated the matter.

* * *

 _ **FELIKS AND MATHIAS**_

These two had been acquaintances, but now they were becoming friends. As they talked, they found out that they had a lot in common. They both liked to try new things, both were loud and obnoxious, and both of them had a very close friend they hung out a lot with. Mathias' best friend was Lukas, while Feliks' best friend was Toris. They had a long conversation about their friends, and if it weren't for the lack of water, they would have talked a lot longer. Along the way, they stopped by a stream to drink some water before walking and talking again.

* * *

 _ **MONACO AND MERRY**_

Ever since they started walking, Monaco much desired to hold Merry's hand. Merry allowed her and in fact he enjoyed it. "I hope you don't miss being with Pippin. You two seem to be close friends" She said softly. The hobbit laughed a bit a squeezed her hand. "It isn't the first nor last time we'd be separated. I know he's in good hands. Seborga seems to be a good man to be with" He replied. Monaco grinned and squeezed his hand back. She was glad that he wasn't upset. It would make her mad if he was the least bit dissatisfied.

They kept walking until they saw a shadow of something in the distance. "What was that?" Monaco asked as she huddled close to Merry for safety. Merry had gotten a better look at what it was and realized it was just a rabbit racing across the field. "We're fine. No monsters coming to get either of us, that's for sure." He said calmly as he patted her head in a soothing way. She was no longer afraid, but kept hugging Merry just because she wanted to. The hobbit liked it too, although he never said so.

* * *

 ** _PIPPIN AND SEBORGA_**

They had been laughing, joking, and singing all the way. The two of them got along very well and enjoyed being with each other. In fact, as they walked, they had composed a little song together.

 _Across the fields we go! Over the hills we dance! Atop the grass we prance! Along the way we sing! While we walk, we chime! The futher we go, the more our voices ring!_

 _Going in pairs is a delight! No matter if it's day or night! For together we feel no fr—"_

It was here that a voice interrupted them from behind. "Fright!" The voice shouted, and Seborga and Pippin both jumped. The voice belonged to a 2p, which wasn't settling in the slightest. Before the 2p could introduce himself, Seborga picked up the hobbit and ran along with amazing Italian speed. The 2p was lost in the dust, and surprisingly never followed. "That was a close one!" Pippin stated with a quivering voice. "Tell me about it!" Seborga responded between breaths. He set the hobbit down and they continued, being sure not to cause too much noise or sing too merrily.

* * *

 ** _LUXEMBOURG AND BILBO_**

They had been rather silent, as neither of them dared to start a conversation. They doubted that they were compatible at all. Luxembourg was the shy quiet type while Bilbo was the proper one and only talked if it was needed. The first time they even uttered a word was when Bilbo sneezed and Luxembourg blessed him. That was the extent of their conversation. Not very much at all.

However, when they looked in the distance, they saw a small boy running across the field. It was hard to tell if it was Frodo or another boy, but nonetheless, the pair went running in the direction that the boy went. Hopefully they would find a clue if nothing else. Together they raced at full speed. Along the way, they took a few breaks, but they were bound determined to reach the place the boy was going as soon as they possibly could.

* * *

 ** _LADONIA AND KUGEL_**

These two had done absolutely nothing but talk about art and things related to it. Out of all the pairs, they were probably the ones that made the least progress. However, they did run into a new country along the way. As they went down the sidewalk, they were too busy talking and bumped into Kiku, Kuro's 1p counterpart. "We're so sorry! Sincere apologies!" Kugel said frantically, hoping he didn't upset the Japanese man. It was a very well known fact that Kiku was protective over his personal space, and by bumping into him, both of the micro-nations had violated his space.

Unlike Kuro, Kiku was not quick to take offense. He understood that it was a mere accident and acted as if it never happened. "So what are two little nations such as yourselves doing out here?" He asked the pair. Ladonia took the honor of explaining. "Oh I see..." Kiku muttered..."Well, if you would like some company, I can come with you. Being so small out here is very dangerous" Kugel and Ladonia both liked the sound of that. "Oh, yes please!" They said in unison.

Kiku smiled and joined them. Their pair had now turned into a trio. Atop of that, Kiku was a very good ally to have. He was smart and had knowledge of martial arts. That, if anyone knows anything, is a good thing to have on your side.

* * *

 ** _TORIS, WY, AND SEALAND_**

This trio had been in turmoil. Sealand and Wy kept getting into childish wars and it greatly maddened Toris. "BOTH ICE CREAM FLAVORS ARE GOOD, SO STOP TRYING TO PROVE WHO'S IS BETTER!" he finally said to shut them up. It was not like him at all to raise his voice, so the micro-nations snapped to attention. They never fought over matterless things while around Toris after that; not even if it was in play. "We're sorry!" They apologized before giving him warm hugs. Toris sighed in relief. "Good. Now lets move on without further interruptions. Please." He said softly. The kids nodded. As agreed, neither of them spoke unless spoken to by Toris.

From there on out, things went smoothly, but they never saw anything suspicious.

* * *

 _Just want to say that I'm sorry about the short length. I was working on my other story "Forsaken Islanders".  
_


	12. Seeked, Saved, and Healed

_I apologize for the wait. My mom hasn't been letting me have my writing computer so all my stories and beta-reading has been greatly delayed. I am glad though that I finally got this one finished and am able to publish. Thank you all for your patience and please Enjoy._

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As the other groups were individually doing their own things, the most unlikely pair, Bilbo and Luxembourg, were on a hot trail. They took little breaks as they followed the boy they'd caught sight of running in the distance several hours earlier. They doubted that they would ever find where the boy went to, but that soon changed. Bilbo's sharp eyes caught glimpse of a tower in the distance. A watch tower, or just one for decoration, it was impossible to tell its purpose from this distance. "But that's getting into the 2ps territory!" Lux said fearfully. He had only seen a 2p once, and it was in his best interest that he never see another one.

Bilbo shared the same thoughts. It was also his preference that 2p's not ever be seen again, however, he knew that there was a good sporting chance that there would be leads to Frodo from here. "You may not like it," He said to the frightened micro-nation, "But we need to at least have a look" There was a pause as they sat in the grass and contemplated what it is they should do. If that tower was indeed a watch tower—which is what it was looking like the closer they got—then they would have to find a way to stealthily sneak past. Bilbo, being a hobbit burglar, had become quite skilled at being stealthy over the years.

"I'll go make sure it's safe for you to cross," He carefully explained, "Then you will hurry at all speed to get to where I am. Understood?" Lux nodded a bit and shivered. Even if it was safe, the mere idea of encountering a 2p was quite scary. Bilbo nodded his head, twitched his nose, then snuck across the field at ample speed. He stayed crouched low so that he would be less likely to be spotted by someone across the field. However, keeping out of sight from the tower was something he could only fix by running as fast as his hairy feet could carry him. He did so, and for his luck, not a soul except Luxembourg's caught sight of him.

He stayed close to the tower wall so that if there was anyone up there, they couldn't see him. Round the wall he went until he saw a man and a woman talking. He jumped a bit, but went back around before they could even notice something there. He waited a moment, then peered around again. The two were still there, but they were slowly making their way inside the rather small city. It would have probably been beneficial if he overheard what they were saying, but they were talking in whispers. It was almost as if they knew someone was close by, and that in itself was quite unsettling. "Do they know I'm here?" He quietly asked himself.

A couple moments passed, and nothing seemed to be happening. Bilbo motioned for Luxembourg to hurry over, and that he did. Lux ran very fast. He was at Bilbo's side in less than a minute. "So are they 2ps?" He whispered in question. Bilbo shrugged. "I don't know how to decipher who's a 2p and who's not. But I wouldn't doubt any possibilities" The hobbit replied with concern in his tone. Lux nodded and they kept going around the tower. The coast was clear, not a single soul in sight. The pair sighed with relief and started wandering out into the street. Very risky action it was, but they proceeded without being seen.

"Maybe something has gathered their attention" Luxembourg suggested. Bilbo didn't doubt that in the slightest. "Those two that I saw talking were heading down the road as if they were on business. But what had taken their attention is what concerns me" He said as every possible outcome swirled in his mind's eye. They kept going down, down, down the path, until a loud commotion suddenly grasped their attention. Very few words were clear among the loud and distant chatter. One thing was very clearly heard though. That thing made Bilbo's worst idea become the reality. It was the screams of his very dear nephew; Frodo Baggins.

At the sound of the screams, Bilbo became very fidgety and wanted to run forward to save Frodo in that instant. The few words that were understandable, mostly things like "Go! Go!" and "Beat him hard!" added to his worries. You see, Bilbo cared very much for Frodo, but going into a crowd of people—which were most likely 2ps—with only a micro-nation at your side and no weapons to use was just plain stupid. Luxembourg hardly knew how much Frodo meant to Bilbo, but he could see that the situation was greatly pressing on the hobbit burglar's emotional state. He had become twitchy, was in an obvious cold sweat, and was at a loss for words.

The screams of Frodo grew ever louder, which only made Bilbo worse. He couldn't think of a single thing to do. "GAH, BLAST IT ALL!" He shouted loudly. Without a second thought, he ran out into the crowd and tried to gather their attention. Luxembourg didn't quite know what to do, so he stayed right where he was, and watched as the events unfolded before his eyes. As Bilbo had expected, every eye gazed at him with a cold stare. He returned a very horrified expression. Frodo was only in a pair of shorts and a very cruel looking 2p was holding a whip in his hand. At the sight, Bilbo almost went into a frenzy.

"Another Halfling? Where are they multiplying from?" A very nasty looking 2p asked upon seeing Bilbo. Bilbo, as you might imagine, couldn't find any words to say. There was only one thing on his mind; Get Frodo and get the heck out of this place. Frodo called out to his uncle, but that didn't help anything. "So can we whip him too?" Asked the 2p that held the whip in his hand. "No. No you cannot!" Luxembourg said as he stood up behind Bilbo. The 2ps paused for a moment, then bursted into hysterical laughter.

It was obvious why they were laughing. Luxembourg was young and weak. He would never stand a chance against a 2p, much less a large group of them. "You think you're so big! We'd have you shredded in seconds if we wanted to!" A brown haired 2p with glasses and sharp teeth said with laughter. Luxembourg, who was already small, felt even smaller now. "Well, let's not doddle" Bilbo whispered into his ear, "We may be small, but we could outrun any of these goblins" In middle-earth slang, calling someone a goblin is like calling them a swear name. Luxembourg didn't know that, but he did know that goblins weren't good creatures.

"Hey! Stop your whisperings!" One of the female 2ps snapped. But she was too late. Bilbo and Luxembourg had already put a loose plan together. They may not of had much in common, but Bilbo was good at coming up with quick ideas and Luxembourg was good at following directions. Before anyone else could so much as react, the pair dashed toward Frodo and combined their strength to carry him with them. Perhaps if they had more time, they would have tried to unbind the lad's arms and legs, but that would be more risky than what they were doing.

The pair, carrying Frodo, hurried as fast as they could. To their advantage, the 2ps had been momentarily shocked by the sudden movement, which gave them a few extra seconds of a head start. "What are you waiting for!? Get them!" A tall leader-like 2p shouted to the others. They instantly snapped out of their daze and chased after Bilbo and Luxembourg. Frodo was the only one that could see behind the ones that were carrying him. His eyes widened at the sight of an angry pack of 2ps chasing after them, but dared not to say a word to distract those who were saving his life.

Out of the town they went and began to run along a pathway that surrounded the city. They ran for a while, then were stopped brutally. BAM! They slammed right into Kugel, Ladonia, and Kiku! All six of them fell into a heap on the ground. "L-Luxembourg!?" "Ladonia!?" They were shocked to see each other. The countries stood up and helped Bilbo untie Frodo at once. "It's a surprise to see you here!" Kugel had said to Bilbo and Luxembourg. "And who's this?" "This is Frodo, my dear nephew," Bilbo answered. Frodo smiled best he could and nodded in greeting. "He looks badly hurt" Kiku stated. Indeed, Frodo had whip marks, deep wounds, and bruises all over.

Everyone had been acquainted with one another, and now a new task was at hand. Thankfully, the 2ps stopped following, but that didn't fix Frodo's wounds. "My friend Arthur is good at healing" Kiku said, "But convincing him to help would be most difficult" Everyone sighed. "Is there anyone else that helps in the medical area?" Ladonia asked. Kiku thought about it for a moment, then nodded softly. "Irunya does. She has nursed all kinds of people back to health." He informed. So that was where they headed next. If Irunya could help, then she would be the next person they'd go to. With Kiku leading, the others followed. He took them to Irunya's house, and the traverse took just under an hour.

"What? The little dear needs to be doctored? Poor thing!" Irunya said as she picked up little Frodo. She was a moderately tall woman that liked to wear deep red overalls atop a pale shirt. She was Katya's 1p, but the only differences in their bodily appearance was the colors. Where Katya had red hair and purple eyes, Irunya had blond hair and light blue eyes. She also wore a cute little blue headband whereas Katya wore a little golden crown. They both shared the same attribute of unnaturally large bosoms.

Irunya held Frodo close to her chest and hurried into her kitchen. That's where all the good stuff—medicine or food—was kept. She grabbed a few washcloths and wetted them with warm water then set the injured hobbit on the table. "Let's see…a few bad cuts, lots of whip marks…and I suppose you are very sore. I can't believe those 2ps would do this to someone so small and helpless…those virodok!" She said aloud as she inspected his wounds. "Virodok?" Kugel asked confusedly. "It means 'monster' in Ukrainian" Irunya explained as she patted the wounds with her wet washcloth.

A small while had passed and Frodo's wounds were mostly clean. "Now I'm just going to put some medicine on the deeper wounds and bandage them up, okay? No need to be fidgety." Irunya said calmly as she got her medicine and wraps. Frodo had been healed by Elvish medicine before, but Irunya's remedies he was in fact kind of wary of. However, he did trust her, and Kiku could assure him that she was quite the miracle worker in the medical world. "Let's start with your arms, dear" She said as she held his hand. Frodo stretched out his arm for her and she grabbed her medicine bottle.

"Now, I warn you that this will sting," She said, trying not to worry him too much, "But that just means that the medicine is burning all that nasty infection out" Frodo hated to be in pain just like everyone; but he knew that he had to do it if he wanted to get better faster. Irunya put some of the liquid medicine onto a cotton ball and gently pressed it to a cut on his arm. As she had warned, it did sting, and it stung badly. He tried his best not to show he was in pain, but it was still quite evident. "Look at us!" Shouted Ladonia. Him and Kugel were making silly faces so that Frodo could focus on them instead of the pain. It did help, but no face that they could possibly make would take all the pain away. It still hurt, but after a moment—which seemed much longer for Frodo than it actually was—the pain subsided.

Irunya bandaged up that wound and congratulated Frodo for handling it so well. "My brother got a little scratch once and he was crying like a big baby over it. I'm very proud of you for not being like that." She had said. That caused Frodo to smile a bit, but he frowned soon after. He knew that he had many deep cuts, and had only coped with one so far. Thankfully, the majority of the wounds were on his back since that's where he was whipped the most. To his dismay however, his back was the next place that was to be treated, and he doubted he was ready to feel his entire back feeling like it was aflame. However, he had been in worse places before, and taking that into consideration made him feel better.

She soaked a washcloth in the medicine and got behind little Frodo. "I'll try to make this as quick as I can" She said softly. She rubbed his back with the medicine as speedily as she could, and the screams that followed sounded like a banshee being exorcised. Even Bilbo was surprised that Frodo could make such loud, shrill noise. Ladonia and Kugel covered their ears while Kiku simply looked away. Irunya…well she was doing all she could to calm him down. Even after the main part of the pain had ceased, Frodo was still in shock from what he had felt. "Shh, Shh, it's over, it's over. Calm down and let's get you patched up." She said calmly as she rubbed the back of his neck. After a moment, she grabbed her bandages and wrapped them around his torso.

The rest of the wounds were much smaller and therefore didn't pose as big of an issue as the past two. When he was finally all patched up, Irunya kissed him on the cheek, wiped his tears away, and offered him a treat. A nice piece of ice-cream pie was his reward while the rest of the people that came got a slice of apple pie. Though Frodo had endured much pain over those last ten minutes, he was starting to feel much better and the pie served as a good reward. Irunya was thanked many times for her doctoring ability—though it was not as good as the Elf's—and for her outstandingly delicious treats.


	13. Riddle Under the Willow

_I apologize for the delay. I've been really busy, but my writing/beta-reading inactivity is mostly due to the fact that my mother has not been letting me have my writing cpu. But here it is, and I'll try to update my stories as often as i can. Enjoy._

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So Ladonia, Kugel, Kiku, Bilbo, Frodo, and Luxembourg had been successfully united, but what about the others? How were they to know that Frodo had been found? The truth is that they had no way of finding out, but despite that, they had their own things to deal with.

Tauriel and Emil had crossed paths with Lukas and Legolas. "Any signs?" Tauriel asked. Legolas and Lukas shook their heads. "Not of Frodo at least. But we did see a troll." The blond elf finally said. Tauriel was immediately on her guard. "A troll!? In broad daylight? How did you—" she was interrupted by Munch. Munch startled her and she tried to attack him with her Elvish blades, but they just went through the guardian troll's body. Between Legolas and Lukas, they finally calmed her enough to talk about it. Emil was sitting in the grass and pulling it out of the ground as they did so.

Munch tried to speak, but the only language he was able to speak was Norwegian. Tauriel didn't understand the language. "Is he trying to put a curse on me?" She asked sternly. Lukas, being able to understand the troll just fine, shook his head and began to serve as a translator. "He asks why you tried to hurt him" He put into simple English terms, though the troll had a way to elaborate his sentences. Tauriel now saw that this was a special kind of troll; one that did not mean any harm and was in fact quite modest. "I didn't know you were friendly. I was merely reacting out of my instinct" She said with a slight smile.

With Lukas' translation, Tauriel began to understand what exactly Munch was. "A guardian troll. I've read about such things from ancient scripts, but never before have I actually seen one," She began to say, "They bond to a single person and protect the person until they die of old age." Lukas nodded in confirmation. "They also fly, teleport, and go in daylight" She added. Lukas again nodded. "You're exactly right my fair elf"

They walked on together but I am sorry to say that they never found anything. Not even a single 2p. They did however find the other two pairs of countries. Berwald, Tino, Feliks and Mathias. "Let's go South and report to the others" Legolas suggested. They agreed and headed South, where they would eventually meet up with Ladonia, Kugel, and the others. But that doesn't come until later.

As they were traversing, the pairs that contained Monaco, Merry, Pippin, and Seborga converged into one group.

"Did you see anything strange along your path?" Pippin asked the other two. "Just a rabbit. That all" Monaco replied with a grin, "Did you?" Seborga nodded frantically. "Si! Si! A 2p!" He answered. The others, though it was not intentional, giggled at the rhyme. Seborga didn't stop though, and continued to tell about their encounter. He explained how they were just trotting along and singing when the 2p sneaked up behind them. He also liked to bring out the detail that Pippin's pink toenail polish was funny looking. "Tell that to Feliks when you see him!" Pippin replied to that remark, "But I think they're just fine."

The others laughed. "So which 2p was it?" Merry had asked after a long pause. "I don't know. We never stuck around long enough to see." Seborga replied. That was completely understandable. But now they were in the middle of a land they hardly knew and no one could tell what was North, South, East, or West. Which way was the 2p lands? Which way did the others go? Who carried compasses these days? They wanted to avoid the 2p lands at all cost. Going that direction would be suicide, but how were they to know which way to go? They huddled in and formed a square.

"One of us is facing North. Let's each take a vote on who that is and go into that direction" Merry said. There was a pause as they each contemplated their answers. "I think Merry is" Monaco and Pippin said in unison. "You're only saying that because you two like me." He sighed. But nonetheless, the two stuck with their answer. It was a fact that two was more than one, so no matter who Seborga voted on, Merry would still have more votes. So they all turned and went in the direction Merry was facing.

They went on and on, and the empty grass field felt like it went off into eternity. "Let's take a rest under those willow trees" Monaco said, "It's calm and we can have a good rest." So the group did as the female micro-nation suggested and sat under the trees. It was shady and the gentle breeze was rather comforting. Things felt fine for the first few minutes, then a weird hissing sound disturbed the peace. "What is that?" Seborga asked as he looked up in the trees. The leaves were so thick he couldn't have seen anything anyways, but he still looked. "I don't know" Merry answered. "But it is beginning to get on my nerves"

Of course, it didn't take much to annoy Meriadoc. Pippin annoyed him all the time. But Pip was his friend and he learned how to cope with the Took. This noise though...this noise was not possible to cope with. It was not only annoying, but it also gave them goosebumps. It was as if it were the voice of a ghost; or Barrow-Wights as they are called in middle-earth. They listened closely for a moment, then Merry couldn't stand it anymore. He picked up a stone and threw it up into the tree. "SHUT UP!"

A very queer sounding voice answered from up in the tree. It was a throaty voice that had a strange tone. "The Hobbitses is mad, isn't it?" Said the voice that seemed to come from nowhere. The group of four looked around frantically trying to find the voice's source. "We are right here" Cooed the voice from behind them. They turned to lay eyes on one of the nastiest creatures any of them had ever seen. It was somewhat human, but a very skinny and scraggly one. You could see its bones under its pale and sunken skin. Exactly what it was, none of them could tell, but it looked like it had been dead and resurrected at least two times. Despite how nasty of a creature it looked like, it bowed to them in an unusually proper manner. "Sméagol at your service" It said.

"Sméagol..." Merry thought. He had heard that name before. He recalled when he had read Bilbo's book and a character named Sméagol came into it. If his memory of Bilbo's writings served him right, the Sméagol in the book looked a lot like the one that was bowing before them now. How did it survive though? Wasn't it burned in the fires at mount doom along with the ring? Apparently not. But what could have possibly happened? At least one thing was for sure though. It was all very confusing. There again, this whole occurrence of one world colliding with another was altogether confusing.

"Would you like to be friends?" Asked the pale creature playfully. He looked at them hopefully with his oversized eyes. What was Merry going to say to that? "N-No..." He stuttered. He really didn't want to be friends with a creature that was supposed to be ashes. Sméagol got upset at this, and he snarled, showing his six rotten teeth. "It doesn't want to be Sméagol's friend! We should kill it then!" He growled as he picked up a rock. All four—hobbits and micro-nations—were struck with fright. Merry tried to think about Bilbo's book. When the famous Baggins had encountered this creature, what did he do to cope with it? Ah, yes...he remembered.

"Riddles! Let's play a game of riddles! You win, you can do what you want to us. We win, and we go scot free" Merry said. Pippin was kind of upset at the 'scot free' part because he was considered 'Scottish'. Sméagol thought for a moment, then nodded happily. "We loves gameses! Ask a riddle!" He said with a six-toothed smile. Seborga called Merry to him and whispered a riddle into his ear. "Sounds good." Said Meriadoc. Seborga grinned as the hobbit told his riddle. " _What is all around you that you can not touch, but you can see_." Spoke the hobbit.

Sméagol thought for a moment. He was going to say air, but you can't really see it. Oh, what could the answer possibly be then? He stretched out his arm, and that's when the answer popped into his head. "Light! Light is the answer. You can sees it." He then closed his hand, "But you can't touches it!" Merry and Seborga both frowned. The pale creature had answered correctly and it was fair and square. Now it was its turn to tell a riddle. " _What walks on four legs in the morn, two in the day, and three at night?"_ It asked. Merry and Pippin were both unfamiliar with this famous riddle. Seborga and Monaco however, they answered it without giving a second thought. "Man" They answered. And they answered correctly.

The pale creature was rather upset, but they had in fact answered fairly. There was no way he could have said they were cheating. Now it was their turn again, and they had to think of something good. Monaco came up with a very clever riddle and whispered it into Meriadoc's ear. "That's a good one" He said before turning back around. " _Poor people have this, Rich people need it, and dead people don't have use for it"_ The pale creature was thoroughly confused. He paced in circles, muttering things as he thought. It was at least five minutes later and he still had come up with no answer. "Have you figured it out yet?" Merry asked. Sméagol screamed in frustration. "Fine! Fine! We do not knows it! Give us the answer!"

A smirk came upon Meriadoc's face as he gave the answer. "The answer is 'nothing'" He said. Sméagol cocked his head in confusion. "Nothing? So there isn't an answer? That isn't fair!" He said as he picked up the rock. Pippin and Monaco gasped in surprise, but then Meriadoc explained quickly. "No, no. The answer to the riddle is 'nothing'. You see, poor people have nothing, rich people need nothing, and dead people don't have use for nothing because they're...well...dead. And in heaven" He said. Sméagol screamed again and threw his rock on the ground. The riddle had in fact been a very fair one and he couldn't say anything against that. "Fine! You wins! Stupid hobbitses" Grumbled the pale creature and he climbed back up the willow.

The group of four sighed in relief. They had won the riddle game...on their second try! "That was a great riddle miss Monaco! It even had me puzzled at first." Meriadoc said joyously as he hugged the girl. She blushed darkly and hugged him back. This was the first time she could think of that she had been praised for something. "Thank you" She said softly and shyly. They all gave her one last hug before continuing on their way, but they were followed by the pale creature.


	14. To Vladimir's Mansion

_I'm sorry for the length, but the next chapter should be longer. Enjoy._

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As the others were making their way in an unknown direction, Emil, Lukas, Tauriel, Legolas, Mathias, Tino, Berwald, and Feliks had found their way to Irunya's house. "So nice to see that you have all made it here safely!" Irunya said with a smile as she welcomed the new people inside. They were all served a cake and a choice beetwix coffee or tea. Now that they learned that Frodo was safe and tucked into a comfortable bed, some of the countries decided to go back home.

"Just one more thing before we go." Tino said softly. He took the elves aside and looked at them deeply. He said a few things, such as "You are your own person," and "You don't have to make toys if you don't want to" along with other things related to Santa's relationship with elves. Of course, Tauriel nor Legolas understood what Tino was going on about. When he was finally done, they only pretended that they understood. Tino was joyed in the fact that he, as Santa, wasn't seen as some overlord commanding his elf servants to make toys. He left, along with Berwald, Mathias, Kiku, Emil, and Luxembourg. Lux was kind of sad to leave Bilbo, but something told him that they were going to meet again...somehow.

So in the living room, two elves, two micro-nations, one hobbit, and three countries sat comfortably by the fire. The other hobbit was resting soundly in Irunya's comfortable and overly soft bed. "I am very glad to know that he is in safe hands" Bilbo spoke as he sat his teacup down, "But there is one thing that still troubles me." He paused for a moment and seemed to zone out. The others looked at him intently, expecting him to continue, but there was no continual. "Pray tell." Lukas finally said. Bilbo started, as if snapped out of a daze. Kugel and Ladonia swore they heard him squeak too, but that was not brought to attention. "Tell us what worries you" Lukas added.

Bilbo huffed and looked at the ground. "I want to know how all this happened. You know...how my people even got here." He said just loud enough so he could be heard. That was, of course, the question that had been running in everyone's mind. There was a long pause as they all stared into the fire and pondered. Lukas was the first to break the silence after a good five minutes or so had passed. "I'm not giving any definites," He said slowly, as if still thinking, "But I haven't seen my friend Vladimir for a few days. He likes to browse books of magic and try out things, and to be honest, he screws a lot of stuff up. It might be because of him that all this has come about." That seemed reasonable, and also seemed like something worth looking into.

There was another silence that fell upon them, but it wasn't quite as long as the one before. "Let's like, get going then!" Feliks said as he hopped to his feet. Lukas and Ladonia settled him back into his chair. "We can't yet. Frodo needs rest and the others aren't here" Lukas explained. Feliks sighed and leaned back in his chair with a pouty face. He was excited to see if the hypothesis was true, and if Vladimir had in fact made a portal that connected the worlds somehow. But they weren't going yet, and that was that. At least, that was the fact until Irunya interjected an idea.

"I can stay here with your darlings as you go and run your errands. I can use the help of my sister and my brother to find your other friends while you're gone" She said. That actually didn't sound like too bad of an idea. "Seems to be good." Legolas said thoughtfully. Feliks hopped back to his feet enthusiastically. "So we are going to Vlad's mansion after all?" He asked excitedly. Lukas gave a small nod and the Polish man darted out the door. He loved going to Vladimir's mansion and seized every opportunity to do so. Feliks, Lukas, Bilbo, and the elves went out on their way to Vlad's house. Irunya stayed at her house with Frodo, Kugel, and Ladonia.

She treated them very well. She fed them all plenty of food and allowed them to do whatever they pleased. Kugel and Ladonia were playing or drawing most of the time. Frodo joined them for a while, but he and Irunya agreed that rest was what he needed most. While he was resting and the micro-nations were playing, Lukas was leading the others to Vladimir's mansion. It was not very far away, but it wasn't just right across the road either. The mansion was past a large winding path that had been overgrown by weeds. It was quite difficult to pass, but they got over it in less than an hour.

Once the path was crossed, there was a large open gate of gothic style. Beyond the gate a horrifying mansion was built. That mansion was none other than Vladimir's. "This man likes to be out of the ordinary, doesn't he?" Tauriel asked. Lukas nodded. "Well, he is a vampire after all, so you can't blame him for not fitting into your usual human category." He explained. Vampires were a thing that Middle-Earth hadn't known about, so the elves and Bilbo had no clue what Lukas meant; and they didn't question either.

Following the Norwegian, they went up to the front door and gave it a few knocks. A short while passed, and there was no answer. Knock-Knock! There still was no answer. Lukas finally gave up knocking and turned the knob. The tall black door creaked open. Inside, the only light came from the large windows. Not a candle was lit nor a lamp turned on. That wasn't unusual, but not being answered at the door was. "Vladimir!" Lukas yelled into the hallway. There was no answer other than his echoing voice. "...Odd." He whispered.

"If Vlad is like, not here, then I don't want to be here!" Feliks said fearfully. He didn't like being in or around the mansion when Vlad wasn't there and much desired to leave. "Leave if you wish. Vlad is obviously not here." Lukas stated. Feliks nodded, said goodbye, and turned out of the house. The others that remained looked a bit confused. "If he is not here, why don't we all go?" Asked Legolas. Lukas paused, standing silently. He didn't answer right away. His head was directed toward the ceiling and he seemed to be listening. Nobody spoke for a good two minutes or more.

Suddenly Lukas took off running down the hall and raced up the stairway. The others were caught off guard by his sudden movement, but quickly caught up. Up those stairs Lukas went, then down the hall on the third floor. The others followed. Lukas finally stopped at a door that was partially open. "This is the room we do our magic in. I feel a strange presence coming from it." He said. " _Our_ magic? So you mean to say that you had a part to play in all this?" Bilbo asked. Lukas shrugged. "Indirectly. I don't actually do any magic, but I supply the books." He answered honestly. "All that aside though. I need to look in here."

He opened the door and something strange was revealed. There was no Vladimir, but there was a strange looking portal on the wall. "That's just like the one we saw in our world!" Shrieked Bilbo excitedly. So now the mystery of how the two worlds met each other was revealed. A vampire that was playing in magic accidently created anonymous portals. But now that that was solved, a new question arose. Where was Vlad? It was logical to assume he had been sucked through this portal and locked in Middle-Earth in the same way the Elves and Hobbits had been trapped in the Hetalian world. Now it was to be decided who would stay behind in case anything happened and who would go into the portal.

"I'll stay here with Tauriel. You and Legolas go through." Bilbo suggested. "Okay. Agreed. And let's hold hands and go in at the same time. We don't want to risk appearing in two different places." Legolas said as he gripped Lukas' hand. On the count of three, they leaped into the portal and were transported to Middle-Earth.


	15. Safe and Sound

_I apologize greatly for the delay. There hve been lots of events going on. But hopefully I'll be able to write more and pickback up on my betareading here soon. Enjoy._

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At Irunya's house, she used the art skills of the two micro-nations to make a yard sign. It had a list of names on it: Toris, Sealand, Wy, Merry, Pippin, Monaco, and Seborga. "Come to this house!" it had painted in bold lettering. If any of them passed by the house, which was likely due to where it stood, then they would see the sign for sure. "Now we only have to wait" Irunya said with a smile.

Toris, Sealand, and Wy were not far from the house in fact. They had no place left to go other than East, which would bring them right past Irunya's house. Since the placing of the sign, it took them about two hours to pass it. "Toris! Toris, look!" Sealand said as he pointed to the sign. Toris screamed in frustration. "THIS WHOLE TIME YOU TWO HAVE SUPPOSED TO KEEP QUIET, YOU KEEP TELLING ME TO LOOK AT STUFF. STOP IT." Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "God save my sanity. These children are killing me from the inside out..." He looked at the ground and kept going. Sea and Wy had kept quiet for a long time after they were arguing about favorite ice-cream flavors, but after the first hour they failed to shut up. Toris was annoyed, tired, and wanted to rid of the micro-nations.

"Look, Look! No joke!" Sealand and Wy chanted. They stood by the sign, trying to make Toris look at it. Finally he raised his eyes from the ground. "What is it no—oh. Oh! It's the first good thing you two have done this entire time!" He said as a smile came on his face. He ran to the sign and scanned it over. Then he looked up at the house. He saw a nice little home that would provide rest and comfort. That sounded amazing at this point.

The trio went up to the door and were answered by Ladonia. Sea and Wy were both happy to see their friend, but Toris was discouraged to see another micro-nation. His hopes rose a bit at the sight of Irunya with coffee and cakes however. He walked to her and she greeted him happily. "You look exhausted. Take a rest and enjoy a refreshment." She spoke softly. "Thank you. After listening to arguing, shouting, chatter, and such, I think I deserve those things." He said as he took a coffee and a cake. He took a seat in the comfiest chair and sighed deeply. There was no place he'd rather be.

Toris took his sweet time to enjoy the food, drink, and amazingly nice chair. Irunya was watching the micro-nations play and enjoy themselves. It went on for a while, then Toris had enough of the giggling and squealing. "Is there any quieter place to go?" He asked Irunya. She nodded and pointed to the back bedroom. Without a second thought, Toris went straight to the room and locked the door behind him.

The room was quiet and peaceful. No giggling or talking and he was all by himself. Or so he thought. He was going to lay on the bed, but when he pulled the covers back, there was a shrill squeak. Toris, though he didn't know who it was, saw Frodo lying there and apologized for tearing the blankets away. "It's okay. You only startled me. That's all." Frodo whispered as he snuggled the warm blanket. "You can lay down with me if you like. This bed is big enough for the two of us." Toris blinked a couple times then laughed awkwardly. "O-okay...uh, if you...if you insist upon it..." he stammered. He never liked to climb into a bed with someone he didn't know, but he also knew that Irunya wouldn't let someone she didn't trust lay in her bed.

He swallowed nervously then got into the bed and under the covers. It was a very awkward moment for the Lithuanian. Here he was sharing a blanket with a person he had never met before. There was a silence for a long time, then Toris finally spoke. "My name is Toris. Wh-Who are you?" He asked with a slight shakiness in his tone. He always spoke that way to people he didn't know, no matter their size or gender. Frodo rolled onto his other side and looked at Toris with a sweet smile. "Frodo. That's my name" He said. Toris' nervousness instantly faded. A joy filled him. "Frodo! So you're the one we were all looking for? Well I'm very happy to know that you are alive, safe, and in good care."

"As am I." Frodo replied with a yawn. "But I would like it very much if I could rest some more." Toris nodded and turned the light out. "I need some rest too. Those micro-nations get really annoying really darn quick, and drain your energy faster than a car burns gas" He said as he snuggled in the blankets. Frodo didn't quite understand the likeness to "A car burning gas" but he assumed it was pretty fast. They each got comfortable and went to sleep. But while they slept, Irunya was doing some micro-managing.

Sealand, Wy, Kugel, and Ladonia were four wild little creatures. They were all over the living room and kitchen, messing things up. "Everyone settle down!" She finally yelled. All four of them froze in their tracks and stared at the Ukrainian. "Settle down right now and I'll read you a book." She said firmly. The micro-nations didn't seem too pleased with that. "I don't want a book!" Ladonia complained. "There are better things to do!" chanted Sealand. Irunya frowned at them all. "Fine." She said, "Then none of you shall get any more treats!" That, most unlike the books, caught their attention.

They sat down, cross-legged, neat in a circle. "We will be good! Promise!" Wy said with an innocent smile. Irunya smirked at them and dished them out a small sliver of chocolate cake. "Good. Now how about a cartoon?" Asked Irunya as she turned on the TV. Sealand nodded excitedly. "Cartoons are much better than books!" He said as he stuffed his mouth with cake. Irunya put it on a cartoon called "Adventure Time" and that satisfied all the micro-nations. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "They'll always be micro-nations with mentalities like that." She spoke softly to herself.

Irunya sighed and walked into the kitchen. She opened the curtains to let some warm sunlight in. Her eyes scanned the scenery outside and she looked to see if anyone else was in sight. To her dismay, the coast was clear, with no sign of the hobbits or the last two micro-nations. Despite the fact that they weren't in sight yet, she set out four extra cups of milk and four separate slices of cake. Now all that was left to do was wait patiently for their arrival.


	16. The Shire and a Call to the Queen

Lukas and the elves were wandering around in an expanse of empty land. There was no telling where they were going or where they came from. "This place seems oddly familiar" Said Legolas, "But if I have ever been here before, it was only once." "One more time then I have at least." Lukas said with a small sigh. There were few things he disliked, and being lost was one of them. They continued to wander through the empty land in search for Vladimir. There were no signs of him or of any other living thing. That was until they crossed a very queer sight.

There was a heavy trampled line, as if a caravan was travelling in single file. Legolas stooped low to investigate the line and where its direction was. He certainly wasn't as good of a tracker as a ranger, but he did have enough sense to know what this was. "Small hooves. Pony size I should assume. And the line is leading toward, what I know of, the Shire. If I had to guess their age, I have to say that they were made this morning. Maybe even more recent" Said the elf to the other two. Tauriel inspected the trail, and assumed Legolas was right. Lukas, well he didn't know much about tracking. He just played with Munch as the Elves were debating what to do.

"The Shire. We must go there first." Said Tauriel as she stood up. Lukas didn't know what any of the places were, so he just tagged along behind the one who knew what she was doing. They changed between running and walking, then running again. Despite the action, none of them seemed to be tired by the time they reached the hill. They trudged up the hill, and there Hobbiton was in sight. It was a pretty little land that interested Lukas. He had always read about places like this in his books, but actually seeing it was so much more magnificent. There were hobbits crawling all over the streets, but there seemed to be an especially large gathering around a specific building. Seeing as this was somewhat suspicious, Lukas followed the elves down to the hobbit crowd. They were surprised to discover that the building being surrounded was a jailhouse. This furthered the suspicion of the elves and Norway.

They tried to make their way to the front of the crowd without stepping on anyone's feet or kicking them over accidentally. The hobbits were surprised to see two elves and a "Man" in their city, but said nothing of it for the most part. Except, that is, for one particular hobbit. "What are you three big folk doing in our city!? Get out you Tramps!" Shouted the voice of an elderly lady named Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. She was never the one who got much attention though—in fact she was hated. Naturally, nobody took her side and allowed the big folk to the front of the crowd. Legolas, Tauriel, and Lukas crawled into the little round door into the jailhouse. They were amazed and surprised at what they saw next.

There was a single jail cell (hobbits generally don't have need to jail people, which is what made the crowd outside that much more suspicious) that held one big person in it. This person, to Lukas' joy, was Vlad. Vladimir was somewhat cramped in the little cell, but he still had a delighted expression on his face. He was talking to a hobbit that wore a particularly fancy coat. Judging by sight, he seemed to be a very important person. Though Lukas nor Tauriel did not know who this little person was, Legolas seemed to recognize him right away. "Samwise Gamgee!" Called the elf. The hobbit turned quickly and had a smile on his face. "Legolas Greenleaf! I thought for sure I would never see you again! What brings you to the Shire with a man and an elf?" He said as he ran to the door to help the three inside. Before anything was said from Legolas, Vladimir called out to Lukas.

"Lukas! So glad to see someone I know! How have you been?" Asked the Romanian. His expression seemed joyous as normal. He had a fanged smile and his eyes were as bright red as ever. But he soon changed expressions. He slowly changed to a somewhat shameful expression. Lukas said nothing and simply waited, as usual, for the vampire-looking man to say something else. "I know you're probably upset at me..." He mumbled. Lukas raised a brow. "Upset? Over what?" He sharply asked in reply. Vladimir's eyes turned to a deep brown color. "For...well...you know...messing everything up. Making those portals." He answered glumly. Lukas, as odd as it was, gave a small smile. At the sight of that, the color returned to Vlad's eyes. Lukas walked and sat beside his Romanian friend (on the outside of the cell of course) and talked in a low voice. "I'm not upset at all. In fact, it's the best mistake you've ever made. Do you realize what you've done? You have actually—without destroying a world—made a portal that linked two universes together. Even the greatest of magicians can't figure out how to do it, but you have." Romania smiled and licked his teeth as he always did when he felt complemented. "Why...yes! I...I suppose I have, haven't I?"

Sam was only catching bits and pieces of the story. He suddenly raised his hand. "Hold your ponies" He commanded, "Would there be any of you sirs that could explain this whole ordeal?" Lukas looked to the hobbit and nodded. "I'll try to explain it best I can" Said he. Over the next twenty minutes, Lukas explained what he could about magic, dimensional portals, and such. By the time he had explained it in an abridged format, Sam seemed a bit lost. Of course, the concept of magic was not a new concept to Sam, but the idea of two worlds—actual worlds, not just lands—being joined was a lot to take it. A world entirely separated save for a couple portals created by accident. By accident! Some accident that was. But "Amazing, no doubt" as Sam had simply stated.

After a little debate, Sam let Vladimir out of the jail cell. Vlad was glad to be out and stretched. He accidently tipped over a vase, but Tauriel caught it before it shattered. "Sorry!" Vlad squeaked. Tauriel gently placed the vase back and nodded in acknowledgement. Sam went outside the jailhouse to attempt the next chore: clearing the crowd. "There's nothin' here to see! Be about your business." He told the crowd. Most of them turned and left, but a few curious hobbits stayed near. They wanted to know what was going on here. Of course, Sam didn't want them to be there, but he wasn't a rude person either; unless pushed passed the limit, that is. "There ain't nothin' to see here. Please leave it be." He said as politely as he could. A moment passed, and a few more hobbits left, but six still remained. One of the remainders was, to no surprise at all, Lobelia Sackville.

The Sackville had her usual sour expression. She didn't like the look of the big folk at all, and she was going to stare them down until they left. But...she soon met her match. Vladimir, Lukas, Legolas and Tauriel had exited the jailhouse. Despite their differences, they all had something in common: a very strong gaze. They all four stared back at Lobelia. The Elves' eyes were sharp, Lukas' never changed, and Vlad's look had a scary essence about it. Lobelia finally shrunk away and left along with the other five. Sam couldn't help but to laugh. He never liked the Sackvilles, and to see one of them lose just by being stared at was quite comical. "So how do we get back?" Vladimir asked after a minute, "I never found the portals in this world."

Legolas and Tauriel had seen one of the portals. "We know where it is" Said the she-elf, "But it leads into, according to you nations, the 2p world. That's too risky." There was a moment of silence before Legolas spoke. "Yes, but there has to be a second portal or Merry and Pippin would have followed our fate. But the question is this: where is this second portal?" He said. The male elf had a very good point that got the others thinking. Sam of course knew nothing about the portals, but since he was considered a leader in the Shire, he had a way of knowing every important thing that occurred. "I don't know if it would be any use to you," He began to say, "But before Merry and Pippin's disappearance, we got a visit from the King of the Men. Maybe he knows something."

That was a very useful thing to know. The King would make occasional visits to the Shire, but it was impossible to tell which days he would arrive. "Perhaps we can go to see the King. Take a trip." Lukas suggested. Sam shook his head. "No, no, no...the King lives many many miles away. Even on a horse the trip takes at least twenty days. We'd have more luck looking for the portal ourselves." He said glumly. So that was why the King made sparing visits, so it was impossible to tell how long it would be before he came back. Things seemed hopeless. That was until Lukas brought up an idea that would work.

The Norwegian snapped his fingers and summoned Munch. "Twenty days by horse...instantly by troll." He said with a wink. Sam was shocked to see the summoned creature, but Legolas quickly explained the properties of the guardian troll. "S-So you can ride this thing? Like an eagle?" Sam asked with wonder. Lukas gave a soft nod. "Only difference is that troll travel is instant. No lapse time. Unless of course you want to go for a joy ride. Then its as fast or slow as you like." He explained. Sam looked very interested by this. He thought he had seen everything there was to see, but he'd been proved wrong. The idea of instant travel was arcane. No time lapse whatsoever? This had to be something really amazing. "Can I...Can I see?" He asked Lukas.

Lukas again nodded. "Where to?" He simply asked. "The King's home!" Sam shouted with excitement. Lukas held Munch's hand, then instructed everyone else to link hands. They did so with great enthusiasm. "Oh how I do love travelling like this!" Vladimir said, hardly able to contain himself. There was a moment that passed as everyone got comfortable, then Lukas spoke something to Munch in his native language. The guardian troll closed his eyes, and that's when something amazing happened. Although it was only a second of time, Sam could see all the land between the Shire and the King's domain zoom by in a flash. It was truly amazing, and something the little hobbit had never thought of witnessing before.

When the second ended, they all together appeared right inside the King's throne room. To no surprise, the King wasn't there (please keep in mind he's still on his return journey) however, his lovely queen stood to attention when she saw the group. She was very surprised to see them appear out of thin air, but the sight of the elves and of Sam calmed her. "What's going on? How did you get here?" She asked quickly. "We teleported here, my dear queen," Spoke Legolas, "And these men are our friends. We need to ask you something" The Queen, named Arwen, bowed her head and listened. They took turns telling her their situation, then came the ultimate question: "Do you know where Aragorn, our king and your husband, sent the hobbits?"


End file.
